Life Improved
by JezUs
Summary: Conqueror Story. Xena as a powerful ruler who sacrificed everything to become who she is, until realization hit her : it really is lonely at the top.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer : I own nothing.**

**Comments : English is not my first langage. I'm still struggling with grammar. I hope it stays understandable though.**

The day was as beautiful as she could have hoped. Since she heard about the news, she was uncontrollable. She was supposed to help Misha in the tavern but she couldn't stay in place, so she was told to wait elsewhere. So here she was, keeping a close watch over Amphipolis, waiting for her target.

XXX

When was the last time, when did she last put a foot in her childhood village, when did she last saw her ? She couldn't even remember. Time went by so quickly. These past years, her sole preoccupation was ruling over her Empire. Being the Conqueror, this was her priority. But now that her realm was stable she started to think about what she left behind. Since the thought came to her mind moons ago, she wasn't able to get rid of it. She never backed off from anything but this, this was different.

The Conqueror sensed Patrocle, her second in command approaching before seeing him. "My Liege. We should be in Amphipolis on time."

The Conqueror didn't respond which bothered the man. It was never a good sign when his Lord was so deep in thought.

"Do you need anything else My Liege ?" It took the Conqueror a few seconds before answering with an unconcerned expression.

"No it will be all"

The Conqueror barely acknowledged him. Whatever is concerning her he was hoping it didn't involve an immediat threat, they certainly didn't have the manpower to defend themselves against a serious attack.

It had been a tough battle between him and the Conqueror to organize this journey. The Conqueror insisted that it had to remain private, no one had to know what they had planned. Patrocle didn't know the reason of the visit, all he knew was that the Conqueror wanted to go over there as soon as possible. Only two days before their departure they sent a messenger to Amphipolis to announce their visit. The Conqueror refused to make this an official visit, so they left with minimum security, and only trusted men, to the displeasure of her second in command.

XXX

"They're here ! The Conqueror is here !"

Upon hearing this, people gathered together at the entrance of the village. Everyone wanted to get a good look at the Conqueror. Children were ecstatics, many stories were told about the Great Conqueror, her legendary battles, her bravery, how strong she was. Some say she has godly powers, much like Ares himself. They were not disappointed by the view. The Conqueror entered the village in full battle dress surrounded by guards in uniform. She mounted a huge and beautiful black horse. The sight frightened some of the children who prefered to retreat toward their parents. The adults themselves were not reassured. The Head of the village took a tentative step toward the beast some called a horse.

"Conqueror, this is a pleasure to welcome you back here in Amphipolis" the man was bowing as low as he could. "My name is Liam, Head of the village."

"What happened to Pius ?" The Conqueror said suspicious, refusing to dismount her horse. She realized long ago that this view seemed to have a particuliar effect on people, she was usually getting quicker answers that way.

"He passed away my Lord, about six moons ago. He had been sick for a long time" The man couldn't find the strength in him to look her in the eyes.

The news sadden the Conqueror. Pius had been Head of the village for as long as the ruler could remember. She respected the man.

Just when she was about to finally dismount, something crashed into her horse. She saw her guards getting to their weapons when she realized what has crashed into her horse was far from a threat. She gestured to her guards to lower their weapons. To her surprise, her horse didn't mind the presence which made her smile inside because, to her knowledge, she was the only human being her horse didn't try to kill so far.

"Ouch." She would definitely have bruises tomorrow. The horse crasher was getting herself back on her feet when she heard someone calling her name. This couldn't be good.

"Alexa ! For heaven sake child ! You will get your-" She heard Misha before seeing her. She turned toward the voice to see the woman stop dead in her tracks, her eyes wide open. Less than a second later Liam approached the Conqueror surely expecting the worst for the little girl.

"Lord Conqueror ! Please excuse the behavior of the girl, everyone was excited to see you today, some more than others" He was smiling at the girl who looked at her feet sheepishly. "I can assure you she meant no disrespect."

Alexa dared a look at the woman standing next to her and she was immediately amazed by what she saw "You're so tall".

The Conqueror humored by the statement looked back at the girl raising a perfect eyebrow.

Misha was staring at the scene, horrified. It was time for her to intervene. "Alexa, show some respect !" she hissed gesturing for her to curtsey.

Alexa remembering finally who she had in front of her put her right hand on her heart and bowed lowly. "I'm sorry My Lord, please excuse my rudeness". Alexa thought to herself that she was pretty good at this, Misha was wrong she could act like a lady.

"I'll excuse it. This time" acknowledged the Conqueror sternly. Her stiff behavior didn't seem to have an effect on the girl though.

"I'm Alexa by the way".

"Child !" Misha murmured angrily. She grabbed the girl, bowed before the ruler and made a beeline toward her house. One more word and she was sure the Conqueror was going to take strict measures against the impolite girl.

Once inside, Misha let go of her frustration.

"Are you out of your mind !" she tried to keep her voice down. "Have you suddenly forgotten who is the woman outside ?" Alexa hadn't forgotten, far from it. She had heard every story about the Lord Conqueror, she had talked to every bard who came her way. "-and you just rush toward her almost getting you killed by her guards and talking to her like a commoner !" Misha was on a roll, that meant she was in big trouble.

"I'm sorry, i got excited. I was afraid i would miss her so i ran. I didn't mean to collide into her horse." Indeed, she didn't. She could feel a lump on her head. What was that horse made of ? The older woman noticed the bruise too.

"You need to put ice on this if you don't want to have a second forehead tomorrow".

While the older woman was busy making ointment, the bruised troublemaker was deeply thinking about her previous encounter. She was in awe, the Conqueror was even more impressive in reality. She needed to know more about her.

"Is she going to stay in the tavern ?"

"With her men yes."

"Why do you think she is here ?" she asked eagerly. But she got no answer. "Do you think it's because she misses her village ?" Still no answer.

One thing Misha was sure of was that the Conqueror certainly wasn't missing Amphipolis. She never ever came to see her brother and her mother even though they were both buried here.

"Do you know how long she plans to stay ?"

"A few days i presume." The woman distractly answered. "Keep the ice on your head and stay put while i go to the tavern".

Alexa wanted to protest but her earlier adventure made her reconsider. Misha was already mad at her she didn't need to make things worst. Besides she didn't want to take the risk of bumping into the Conqueror in her state, that would be embarassing.

The tavern was bustling. To the owner surprise, the news of the presence of the Conqueror wasn't having an impact on her customers.

Misha was busy preparing diner, she hasn't seen her famous customer since her arrival in the village. She prepared an early meal for her and her men but the Conqueror asked for it to be served in her room. The woman was going to get the food out of the kitchen when one of her employee came rushing in.

"Misha ! The Conqueror, she's asking for you" The poor girl had difficulty catching her breath.

"Take those plates, i'll be right back" The woman walked briskly toward the room of the Conqueror, passing by guards after guards who were looking suspiciously at her. She came upon the last man in front of the ruler's door. She didn't know him but she guessed he was someone important. He was not wearing the same uniform than the other men and he was looking at her more friendly than his colleagues.

"Ma'am." He saluted her and opened the door for her. When inside, she noticed the fire was alive, and all the lamps were off.

"I hope i am not disturbing your work calling you here" The Conqueror's voice surprised Misha who couldn't see her in the darkness of the room. "It seems to be busy downstairs".

"It is" she managed to utter. Finally she saw movements at the end of the room. Misha realized the woman was busying herself looking out the window, probably checking for potentiel danger.

"Diner was good, better than what i eat in Corinth."

"Thank you. I had a great teacher." She couldn't see the expressions on the face of the ruler but she could guess and was sure that she was smiling right now.

"Indeed" The ruler murmured to herself.

"I'd like to apologize for Alexa's behavior earlier. Sometimes she can be a little too reckless."

The Conqueror remained silent. For a second Misha thought that maybe her apology wasn't enough. She was in front of the ruler of half of the world after all, surely people have died for much less than attacking her in plain sight and talking to her like she was a simple peasant. Just when she was about to further excuse the attitude of Alexa, the ruler started to talk.

"How old is she ?"

Misha was surprised by the question. "She just turned fifteen".

A silence again. Misha was still standing close to the door while the younger woman still remained hidden in the shadows of the room. The atmosphere in the room was unsettling, it was too much for the tavern owner. "May i ask why you called me here ?" she said anxious.

"To talk about her future." The Conqueror answered without hesitation.

"Her future ?"

"Decisions need to be taken."

Misha was cought of guard. She didn't understand what the Conqueror was talking about.

"I'm not following you"

"The Empire is strong. I can't hide behind my duties anymore." Finally the Conqueror decided to fully show herself. Earlier, Misha didn't take the time to look at her but now being all alone in front of her she couldn't avoid it and what she saw startled her. Like Alexa remarked earlier, the woman was taller than normal, much taller than most of the men in the village. She was wearing a simple battle dress, her muscles in display. Her stature was impressive and strangely appealing. Misha would never admit being afraid of the woman, but she could fathom why people were. Her body, her charisma, everything about her screamed of danger, of power and violence. "She's old enough to understand".

"Is it why you're here ?" The tavern owner asked in disbelief.

"I'm here to offer her a way out. Corinth will offer her much more opportunities than Amphipolis."

"We both know that when the word spread out, her life will never be the same. One foot in Corinth and she will become everyone's attention, she will become a pawn. She wasn't raised to assume this." Misha was outraged.

"What choices does she have here ? Between being a tavern owner and marrying a farm boy. I can provide for her with the best education. She will be able to see the world, meet the brightest minds of our time." The Conqueror wasn't used to people discussing her intentions, and she wasn't known for her patience. But she knew this time, to have her way, she will have to convince and not threaten.

"And become a political tool"

"Do you think i am that shallow, using a teenager to accomplish something" The Conqueror was disgusted by the accusation.

"You can't blame me for not trusting you. I raised her because you wouldn't. You put your realm before her and now you come back years after expecting what exactly ? That i give her to you without asking questions ?" Misha couldn't contain her temper, she didn't care that the woman in front of her could order her demise. She approached the ruler and angrily pointed out to her, "Outside you may be the Great Conqueror but we both know that here in Amphipolis you're just Xena, at least to me. I'm not afraid of you, i won't let you put her safety in jeopardy, not without a fight." They stared at each other for what seems like hours, Misha wanting to be sure her point has been made and the Conqueror not wanting to lose this argument. But the older woman had a point, here in Amphipolis, she was just Xena, she didn't want to force anything, so she gave up for now.

She moved toward her bedroom door, a sign the discussion was over. Before letting Misha go, the Conqueror needed to have the final word "You can't keep her emprisone in a cocoon. She's old enough to make her own decisions. Let her decide, this is her life after all."


	2. Chapter 2

When Misha went back to her house, Alexa was already asleep. Stretched carelessly on her bed with a damp towel next to her head. To the relief of the woman, the bruise on Alexa's forehead was receding but to be sure she put some more ointment on it. She was about to leave her bedside when she noticed scrolls on the floor on the other side of the bed. Misha quickly realized that it wasn't any scrolls but Alexa's diary.

She remembered the day when the girl asked her for money to buy things so she could start writing. Misha asked her what she wanted to write about and Alexa stopped moving, looking at her with puppy eyes. The girl couldn't answer. Misha realized she must not have thought this through so she was the one suggesting a diary. The woman never thought twice about it, she wasn't even sure the girl ever used the tools she bought that day. To her surprise Alexa indeed started to write.

_"My name is Alexa. I'm 12. This is the first time i try to write a diary. I'm not sure if it's going to be a regular thing but i had to try. I always thought that to write a diary you'd need something to talk about but Misha told me that it could be like a friend, a friend who will never ever reveal your secrets. I told her that if someone was talking about your secrets it was not a real friend but she answered me that sometimes even a friend could be a disappointment. That's a sad thought._

_I should probably explain about Misha. She is the one who raised me after the death of my parents. I don't know much about my parents, or what was Misha's relationship with them, it is not something she likes to talk about. I don't think they were good people because no one ever shared their memories of them, at least not with me. Sometimes i can see the elders looking at me with a certain wariness and i wonder if this is related. I'm at the crossroad, i want to hear about my parents but i can feel the answer will be hard to swallow._

_I live in Amphipolis, i grew up here. It is not a very big village but big enough to have a tavern, owned by Misha. I'm proud to be from here, it is the village where the Lord Conqueror was born. I still can't believe the ruler of most of the known world lived here. I try to learn everything i can about her. Thanks to the tavern, we often have bards who stop here for a night or two, so i can ask for stories about the Conqueror. I know some people here don't want to hear about her, the elders mostly, they're still blaming her for the death of many, calling her names, like the Destroyer of Nations. She protects Greece from invaders and they're still thinking she is a demon._

_In 12 years i never saw her here but i'm sure that one day she will come."_

Misha carefully put the scroll on Alexa's desk. She couldn't stop the tears falling from her eyes. Right there she became aware of a painful truth. If Alexa had a choice, of course she would choose to leave. She was obsessed by the ruler for years now and soon she will have to decide whether she wants to stay here with a futur far from exciting or leave with her idol and enjoy a luxurious life.

Unlike Alexa, Misha knew it will not be that easy, she knew the life in Corinth will come with expectations and rules the young girl was never prepared to assume. But what can she offer her here in Amphipolis ? Alexa would be safe, yes. But deep down Misha always felt the girl was made for better. She was smart, with a good education she could become someone, a woman who will be remembered.

XXX

"My Queen"

The said Queen turned toward the voice, surprised to see someone in her quarter. She was about to lecture the intruder about the importance of privacy but the woman beat her to it.

"Forgive me My Queen to enter unannounced but your Weapon Master asked me to fetch you. It's an emergency."

If Eponin ordered someone to break one of the few rules she put in place when she became Queen, Gabrielle thought it was indeed quite the emergency.

Once at the gates of the Amazon City, Gabrielle understood. A group of Amazons was laying there surrounded by their comrades. There was so much blood, Gabrielle felt a fire building in her chest. "What happened ?" She asked her Weapon Master.

"Centaurs" Eponin was as tensed as her bow. The healer was desperately working on one of the fallen Amazon until Eponin moved towards her and stopped her movements.

"Is she-?" But the Queen couldn't finish her sentence, she didn't want to ask that question.

The healer looked back at her and shook her head.

Gabrielle wanted to scream, she could see her fellow sisters mourning already the lost of the Amazon. As Queen though she couldn't, she was the one who had to stay focused, she was the rock of the Amazon Nation. So she hold back her tears and clenched her teeth.

"Gather everyone. I want to know what took place over there." Then the Queen knelt down next to the dead body of her sister and kissed her forehead sending a prayer to Artemis asking her to welcome and take care of the fallen Amazon.

When Gabrielle entered the meeting room, her sisters were already arguing about the procedure to follow. They stopped talking to salute their ruler and waited for their Queen to speak.

"We lost a sister today." Her voice strong and regal she added "Blood was spilled on Amazon territory, the first drops since the signature of our peace treaty with the Centaurs years ago. I demand answers." She said looking intently at every Amazons present at the table.

Eponin was the first to speak. "Amarice was supposed to guard the gates. I had problems with her these last moons, she often defied my orders. She was a hothead. She wasn't supposed to be there."

"She is dead Eponin, it's hardly the time to insult her !" Solari was upset, everyone knew the bond between her and Amarice was strong. Solari was the one who trained the girl when she first came to live with the tribe.

"We almost lost two of our sisters because of her craving for actions ! They are seriously injured ! All because of one reckless woman." Eponin couldn't contain her anger.

"Are you saying she deserved it ?" Solari was fuming.

Eponin was aware of the tension in the room, she thought it best to carefully chose her words. "No one deserve to die like that. I will personally ask that justice be made but i know what you are all thinking."

"And what are we thinking exactly ?" Solari taunted.

The Weapon Master looked at them with disgust. "You're thinking of revenge."

"She didn't die by mistake Eponin, she was trampled to death. Of course we want revenge." The voice came from Chilapa. Eponin wasn't surprised to hear that from her. The young Amazon never withheld her dislike of the Centaurs.

"We need proof before doing anything." Insisted the Weapon Master.

"We need to prepare !" Chilapa roared. "Our sisters defended themselves. Centaurs have casualties too and they are probably not hesitating like us. If they attack us we need to be ready." She then looked back at Eponin, glaring at her. "Since when are you backing off from a fight ? Are you not our Weapon Master ?"

"Yes i am. And as such i can tell you all that a war with the Centaurs right now would result in a bloodbath. For people who are so angered by the death of one of our own, you sure are quick to ask for the death of many more."

Eponin's words shocked the Concil, every Amazons in the room were outraged and were not shy to voice it.

The Queen couldn't stand it anymore. "Enough !" she cried successfully silencing the room. "We need informations before taking any rash decisions. I want to hear about our injured sisters. What did they say ?"

Again Eponin was the one to speak up. "Cara was overseeing the group. She told us Amarice joined them at the border of Centaurs territory. Some Centaurs were apparently hunting, one of their prey ended up dying inside Amazon territory, he tried to retrieve it that's when Amarice attacked him."

"A Centaur crossed our border ! And killed one of our own on our land ! What else do you need ?"

"It happen all the time ! _We_ cross it everyday ! It's a mutual understanding. The difference this time is that we had an overzealous and rogue sister outside as well." Eponin's patience was lessening. She saw Gabrielle silencing any comments from her sisters before motioning to her to keep going with her report. "When the Centaurs saw their comrade being attacked, they went to defend him. Our sisters did the same for Amarice."

Gabrielle couldn't believe what she was hearing. "We attacked first." she said dreadfully.

"Yes My Queen." Acknowledged Eponin.

Gabrielle felt a sudden weariness settle. Hours before she was the leader of a peaceful Nation and now she is here discussing the possibility of a conflict.

"How many dead on their side ?"

"We don't know. Cara told us one of them had to be carried away, she couldn't tell if he was still alive."

This made everyone quiet down. Each one of the Amazon were thinking about the meaning of this. The idea of a possible war was nagging on their minds.

"My Queen, we need to act first, show them we want a diplomatic answer not a military one." Eponin persisted.

"They killed an Amazon on Amazon territory, this can't stay unanswered !"

"This is not just about us." Finally Ephiny was stepping in. She remained silent until then knowing full well how this meeting was going to go. Years of peace made them all forget about their real situation. Blinded by their pain, the big picture was lost on them. "Don't forget that a war between Centaurs and Amazons will certainly be ill-received by the Empire. We were able to keep our land only because we convinced the Conqueror that we will be the first barrier between her and the Romans. We can't fight the Centaurs and the Romans at the same time. Our action today could give her reasons to go back on our deal."

No one dared utter a word after Ephiny's intervention, knowing full well the Queen's second in command was right. The Amazons were now waiting anxiously for their Queen to make a decision. They didn't have to wait for long.

"I will go to Centaur's territory and ask to talk to Kaleipus myself."

"For all we know they're just waiting for an opportunity to attack us. You'd be an easy target. This is too dangerous." Solari looked at Eponin expecting her to at least support her on this but any more comments were stopped by the stern voice of the Queen.

"We need to act before everyone's mind is polluted by false rumors. I refused to go to war on a misconception. To avoid that, i need to talk with Kaleipus. Face to face."

Eponin managed to convince the Queen to take at least a small number of guards with her to her visit to the Centaurs. They didn't have much time to discuss Gabrielle's decision. The Queen wanted to act now, she was sure that to wait any longer will do irreparable damages.

Once at the border, the Queen asked her guards to remain in Amazon land while she advanced alone in Centaur's territory. A few steps in, she heard an arrow being shot. She stopped and saw it land a few feet from her. This was intended as a warning shot. A good sign, it meant they were willing to discuss. Gabrielle motioned to her guards to not move.

"I am Gabrielle, Queen of the Amazon Nation. I come here unarmed and request an audience with Kaleipus."

She waited. She couldn't say how long she stood there. She was about to relent to her guards who were bugging her to go back to the village when she saw a Centaur trotting toward her. Like her, he was alone.

"Queen Gabrielle" He saluted.

"Kaleipus."

"Don't think i made you wait here as some kind of power game. I was actually trying to convince my companions to not kill you on the spot."

The Queen barely managed to refrain a smile. "I should thank you then. To be honest, my sisters share the same idea."

"We seem to agree on something." Despite the intent joke, Kaleipus wasn't smiling.

"I hope we will agree on much more Kaleipus. We didn't get that far to let it all blow up because of the behavior of reckless members of our mutual tribe."

Kaleipus sent her a warning look "I lost a man today Gabrielle, his brothers are asking for justice."

Gabrielle didn't back down "I lost a sister as well. Isn't it enough justice ?" she replied with fervor.

"Your Amazons attacked a Centaur."

"Amarice is ... was a new recruit. A feisty one. She paid it with her life."

The Centaur stayed silent, apparently deep in thought.

"I doubt that will satisfy them." Kaleipus saw a fiery look lightening the Queen's eyes. "I'm sorry for your Amazon but she poured oil on an already burning fire."

Gabrielle's brow wrinkled as she was trying to understand what he was saying. "What do you mean ?"

The Centaur deliberately moved away from both tribes, not wanting anyone to eavesdrop. "More and more Centaurs are voicing their disapproval of the old peace treaty between our two Nations. The most virulent are the young ones, they think our Nation will be better off as allied to the Roman Empire." The Queen could sense his disdain, she knew Kaleipus shared her view of the Roman Empire. "Romans pretend to respect Centaurs traditions to convince us to join them against the Conqueror. In reality, they still think of us as animals. We will be used and killed at the first opportunity." Kaleipus said with venom "Our young companions, they see themselves as powerful warriors but you can be the most powerful warrior out there, you can't do anything alone against an army. Centaurs will find themselves between the Roman's and the Conqueror's army, considered as scums by one and traitors by the other." Kaleipus stopped talking but the Queen felt he wasn't finished.

"If we avoid a war today Gabrielle, it won't mean Amazons will be safe. Elders like myself, the one who lived during the unification of the Greek Empire, we don't want to throw the peace away. We're not fools, we know a war will condemn our race. Our voices still matter but know that after my death things will change." He said gravely.

"Why are you telling me all this now ?" The Queen asked suspiciously.

"Opportunity" Kaleipus approached the Queen "The Centaurs never dreamed of being as thriving as we have been these last few years and it is mainly thanks to the treaty you proposed back then. I owe you for these years of peace. In return i will do everything i can to keep our peace treaty standing for as long as i can, starting now. But you have to promise me that if the opportunity arise you will pardon the Centaurs." The older man offered the woman his outstretched hand.

Gabrielle was stunned by what was happening. She had imagined several scenarios, not one was close to what she was witnessing right now. She accepted the offered hand but couldn't refrain herself from inquiring.

"I don't understand Kaleipus. You must know i won't be able to do anything for the Centaurs if they decide to join the Romans. I don't have that kind of power."

It took the Centaur a few seconds to answer apparently unsure of what he was supposed to tell the young Queen in front of him. "You are a great leader Gabrielle. Soon it will be your time to thrieve."

Kaleipus didn't let the Amazon Queen time to question his curious remark as he was already rushing toward his companions.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : I still own nothing.**

**Comments : I noticed a few mistakes in previous chapters, i'll try to be more careful. Thanks for the review.**

Once back in the village, Gabrielle requested again for the Concil to be gathered.

The Queen shared with them the informations she received from Kaleipus, the news of the death of one of the Centaur, the risk of a rebellion in Centaur's Nation, the threat of an alliance between them and the Romans. She told them everything.

"So they won't attack us today or tomorrow."

The Amazons were disconcerted to say the least. They all prepared themselves for a imminent war with the Centaurs. Some of them even thought their Queen would be the second victim of their neighbors today. To hear their ruler managed to avoid that was impressive.

The Queen could see in her sisters' expressions that the news was a complete surprise. "With one dead on either side, no." She could see them visibly relaxed. "A life for a life. We're even." She added sadly.

"Can we trust them ?" asked Chilapa.

Like Eponin, Gabrielle knew of Chilapa's opinion of the Centaurs "I trust Kaleipus' judgement. He's well aware of what a war could entail for the Centaurs."

"Add to that the fact that his hatred for the Romans matches the one of the Conqueror" noticed Eponin. The Queen nodded.

But Chilapa was not finished. "What's our next move ? We can't wait here doing nothing while the Centaurs are preparing an uprising." Her comment seemed to awake the Concil.

Questions and remarks were thrown at the young leader. A sign from her made the room calm down. "We need to share our informations with the Empire. I plan on asking for a meeting" declared Gabrielle. The truth was that she had already sent a messenger, she didn't want to wait, this was too sensible.

"You want to invite the Conqueror here ?"

The Queen knew this part will be the toughest. "Not here. I don't want anyone to hear about it. Centaurs, Romans, even Amazons can't know about it. Until i discuss it with the Conqueror, the real situation can't get out of this room."

Most of the members of the Concil didn't dare say a word after Gabrielle's declaration, too shocked by what she was asking of them. One Elder Amazon couldn't keep quiet though "You want us to lie to our sisters ?" she asked outraged.

This flared up Gabrielle "I want to keep this under wrap until we know more. I have nothing to reassure our sisters with. Telling them now will only cause unnecessary trouble." The Queen was sure that crumbs of information were far worst than no information at all. The Elders weren't seeing things like she did though, not used to this kind of governance. Gabrielle could admit she rarely used the Elders opinions on foreign policy, mainly because most of them prefered an Amazon Nation withdrew into itself. To be honest if she had taken their advices into consideration, no peace treaty would ever have been signed with the Centaurs and they would probably not be talking to each others right now.

Apparently old habits die hard. "So we will tell them a war with the Centaurs was avoided, but we won't talk to them about a pending one between us and the two remaining Empire of the known world ?"

"Not until i have a better picture of what we will have to fight against." The Queen tried diplomatically.

"You seem to expect the Conqueror to help you figure that out" said one Elder with derision.

"I do." Gabrielle answered with confidence. This was a part she knew would be hard to swallow for her fellow Amazons and she wasn't disappointed.

"My Queen i'm sorry but this is all ridiculous. The minute you will tell the Conqueror that the Romans are probably heading for a war, she will have better things to do than dealing with our demands. Why do you think she will bother herself with the fate of the Amazon Nation ?"

Sure of herself, Gabrielle voiced her plan. "The Conqueror needed the help of the Amazons once. We just need to make her remember our skills are still valuable to her."

XXX

The Conqueror was in Amphipolis for two days now. During these last two days she pondered with the idea of going to pay her respects to her mother and brother. The last time she put a foot in her family crypt was fifteen years ago, it was also the last time she saw her mother alive.

She remembered vividly the day she received Pius' letter a decade ago. Xena didn't know about her mother's sickness, the news of her death was a shock. She couldn't explain what she was feeling, she first refused to believe it was true, she even sent some of her men to Amphipolis to check up on her. They came back with the same distasteful news. A profound sadness hit her then, she even cried, a thing she hadn't done in a long time.

Since Lyceus death, she knew her mother never even acknowledged anymore that they were related. Cyrene was telling everyone she only gave birth to two sons. She didn't even go to the funeral pretexting a security issue. The truth was that she felt her presence wouldn't be welcomed.

In his letter Pius indicated Cyrene final wishes, apparently her mother had time to take care of her affairs before her death. Cyrene asked for a small ceremony. Only family. Two words to sum up everything Xena was not.

Too engrossed that she was in her thoughts, the Conqueror didn't realize she had walked all the way to the barn. Her subconscious apparently wanted her to take a break.

Entering the barn, the view bewildered her.

The Conqueror never thought necessary to put a guard with her horse as she saw first hand the beast could alone break a man's neck. Unfortunately, it seemed he was vulnerable to teenagers, one in particular.

"What do you think you're doing in here ?"

Alexa was taking care of the Conqueror's horse when she realized she wasn't alone anymore.

She turned to see who was talking to her and was startled to find herself in the presence of the ruler.

The Conqueror approached the girl "I have people trained to care for him. I don't really like strangers getting close to him" she said in an intimidating manner.

Alexa tried to keep a composure but she found it to be difficult with the dangerous vibes she could sense coming from the woman. "Lord Conqueror" she murmured, barely taking the time to bow before the warrior "I crashed into him pretty hard the other day, i just wanted to make sure he was alright."

The Conqueror pushed past Alexa to prepare her horse. "It's a war horse, he's seen worse. Besides, he doesn't like newcomers, he could have attacked you" she said coldly.

"He may look dangerous but he is not" _Unlike you, _the girl couldn't stop the thought from entering her brain.

This made the Conqueror scoff. "Believe me he is." She took the reins of her most loyal companion and marched toward the exit of the barn with Alexa following close behind. Once outside she mounted the beast, but before taking off, she made him stop near the girl. "Don't come in here alone again." She said glaring at her.

Alexa perceived the warning in the Conqueror voice. She nodded her understanding not wanting to antagonize the ruler.

It wasn't the meeting she had dreamed of having with the warrior. The past few days she had tried to get close to the Conqueror. Unfortunately for her, the woman had been inaccessible. Misha wasn't helping her either, she seemed to burden her with chores on purpose. Alexa wasn't stupid she knew Misha was looking unfavourably on her attempts to reach the attention of the ruler. Speaking of chores, she was supposed to help in the tavern, her excursion to the barn took her longer than she thought.

The tavern owner was working on the day's diner with Alexa when Patrocle came in the kitchen in a hurry.

"Excuse me Ma'am but have you seen the Lord Conqueror ?" he asked briskly.

Misha was about to answer to the negative when she heard Alexa behind her.

"I saw her leave with her horse but i don't know where."

The man thanked the girl before taking off.

"You can't call yourself a guard if you don't even know where is the person you are supposed to guard" grumbled Alexa which made Misha laughed. The tavern owner turned around to face the younger woman.

"Is it why you're sulking since you entered the tavern ? Did she refuse to let you follow her ?" she asked smiling. Alexa didn't want to answer which concerned her. "Did something happen ?"

"She didn't want me there that's all." The girl responded with dismay refusing to look up at Misha. Talking about it now made her want to cry, she knew it was silly but she expected so much more from the warrior's visit. _What was I thinking_ _!_ she berated herself. She was comforted by Misha who took her in her arms.

"I'm sorry" she whispered in the teen's hair.

"Don't be" answered Alexa sadly. "I don't know why i thought she will act differently with me. She's Greece ruler after all."

To say Misha was pissed off to see Alexa in this state would have been an understatement. She couldn't wait to see the Conqueror again, they definitely had a thing or two to talk about.

After a few candlemarks of much needed solitude, the Conqueror went back to her childhood village. Upon entering the village courtyard, she saw Patrocle anxiously waiting for her. She prepared herself for a lecture from her second in command about the danger of leaving without protection but unexpectably he did not. Instead he handed her a message, an official letter. The seal was broken, she deduced her second in command already knew what it was about which would explain his nervosity. Patrocle was the only one with the right to open official missives, she trusted the man more than she trusted herself. Besides she wasn't always available so she needed someone at all time to take care of important matter, Patrocle was the perfect choice. He was with her since her days as the Destroyer of Nations. He was the closest thing she had to a friend.

She read the scroll not letting any emotion slip. She then directed them to a more private location. "Who saw this ?"

"Just the two of us" assured Patrocle.

"The messenger ?"

"No doubt he recognized the seal but i casually refered to him that i was tired to receive those boring reports from the Amazon Nation. I'm sure he didn't think twice about it."

The Conqueror was thankful for the man. How she wished all her men were as quick thinking as he was.

"The Amazons tend to exagerate the threats, it could be nothing" the man tried to reassure.

The Conqueror sent him a look. "For them to request to meet me in person, believe me it must be life threatening."

Patrocle knew she was probably right, he just didn't want to think the worst. "Why are they asking for a meeting outside Amazon territory ? If danger is effectively looming you don't let your Queen walk around the countryside, you keep her where she will be safe" The man pondered.

"Obviously you have forgotten who is their Queen" The Conqueror commented humourlessly. "She doesn't want anyone to know what she has planned. To keep this a secret, she seemed to be ready to take excessive risks."

Patrocle didn't like what he was hearing. He was waiting for his Lord to give him instructions, he could see her thinking intently, surely considering all the options. Finally the warrior ordered "Send them our response. We will meet but i'll choose the place."

After her conversation with Patrocle, the ruler needed to talk to Misha, knowing full well her news would not be accepted gladly. She found the woman working in one of the tavern room. But as soon as she entered, the warrior found herself being the target of the tavern owner wrath. Apparently, the horse crasher had told her caretaker about their previous confrontation. The Conqueror chose to let the woman freely releash her frustation.

Finally Misha calmed down. "I don't understand you."

"You wouldn't be the first"

Misha sent her a look, unamused. "You came here with the sole purpose of rekindling missed relationship and on your second encounter with her all you do is push her away"

"I'm not used to whatever is happening. I don't know how to do this" the ruler admitted.

"Being nice would be a good start" said Misha deviously. She then turned to face the ruler, wearing a serious expression she explained, "You can't act like this with her. Every once in a while she does something i fiercely desapprove, it doesn't mean i respond in scaring her to death."

"Then you're a better person than i am" The Conqueror answered bitterly.

"That's something I never had a doubt about" The look she received from the Conqueror would have terrorized anyone. But it had no effect on Misha who went back to her work.

The warrior took some time to collect herself before speaking again. "I didn't came here to fight."

Misha glanced at the woman. "Then why are you here for ?"

"I have to leave tomorrow at first lights"

Misha turned around brusquely, appalled. This was way too soon. The Conqueror could see the distress in Misha's eyes, so for her sake, she decided to go straight to the point.

"I'm not going back to Corinth yet. Something came up. Empire's business i have to take care of."

The Conqueror saw Misha's expression changed radically.

"Of course. How naive i was to think you would actually do anything" angriness was dripping from the woman's words.

"This is not like that. This is important." Xena answered without thinking. The phrase resonated in her head, she berated herself immediately for her poor choice of words. She was not surprised to see Misha explode.

"Because she's not ? You've been here two days. And what did you accomplish ? Nothing, except maybe make her hate you."

The ruler tried to remain calm. She couldn't let her temper took the better of her. She couldn't be the Conqueror with Misha.

"The Empire still come first. You can't tell me otherwise now." Misha was pacing angrily in front of the warrior. "Explain to me why you suddenly want her back ? I want to understand how it took you fifteen years to realize that something was missing from your life." Xena was watching her stubbornly refusing to answer. Misha stopped to face her, exasperated by her attitude. "Maybe you don't know the answer so i'll explain it to you. You want her back because you finally realized that you're alone. That's what happen when you get older, you become aware of the fact that what you have now is not important. In your case you put a cross on what was important years ago without thinking twice. To sum up, you're just being selfish !"

The Conqueror couldn't deny that. Everything that Misha had just said was true. But she would never admit it. She may not have been there for fifteen years, but now she was ruling half of the known world so she thought it had to be useful for someone other than herself. It didn't mean Misha's words were not hurting and she guessed that it was meant to be.

After a while, the warrior finally found her voice. "I accepted your attitude since i arrived here but you should be careful, it might not always be the case" she was trying to sound threatening but she doubted it had an impact on the furious woman in front of her.

"I just wish you'd prove me wrong !" boomed the tavern owner cleary fed up by the situation.

"I'm trying" rebuked the ruler.

"Try harder then !" seethed Misha. "Because the girl you met earlier, she is what's important. She has to be your first concern."

That's the moment Alexa chose to enter the room visibly frightened. "What's happening ?"

Misha looked at Xena. When their eyes locked they saw understanding in each others. They knew Alexa had heard their conversation, they could see the confusion plastered on her face, the unshed tears.

Despite everything, Misha tried to reassured the girl. "It's nothing. The Conqueror and I, we were just discussing tavern matters."

Of course Alexa didn't believe that. "Stop lying to me" she said ghostly not loosing Misha from her sight. "You're acting weird since she arrived here. I'm not stupid, i know you did everything you could to keep me from seeing her. You never gave me as much chores as you did these last two days. And i saw you two talk to each other, more than once. Here in the kitchen, just the two of you. And I know you were summoned in the Conqueror's room on her first night here. Then i come help you and she is here again." The girl couldn't countain her tears any longer. "What are you hiding from me ?" she asked almost pleading.

Neither woman knew what to answer. Except the truth. A truth they were not ready to disclose. The ruler didn't think twice though, she had an early start tomorrow, tonight was definitely not the night for what they had to talk about. She moved, anxious to get out of the room but was stopped by Misha's threatening voice.

"Don't you dare leave now Xena." _Xena_. It's been a long time since someone called her by her birthname. She realized that the man who last used it was probably killed for doing so. Misha always knew how to get through her, she would give her that.

Witnessing the scene before her, realization finally hit Alexa. "You know each other."

Misha was tired of lying, tired of pretending. "Yes."

"How ?"

A beat. "We grew up together."

Alexa stood there utterly shocked. The Conqueror was too. "Stop talking right now" she ordered.

But Misha refused to bend to the wish of the ruler. "No. You told it yourself. She's old enough to understand."

Not hearing a rebuttal from the Conqueror, Alexa took her chances to know more about the situation.

"You grew up together ?" she asked to be sure she hadn't misheard. Misha nodded yes. "Were you friend ?"

The tavern owner hesitated before answering but she thought that she was too far gone now, so she replied not without emotion. "She was my best friend." It was her turn to shed tears.

Misha couldn't look at Xena. The memories were too painful. Seeing the warrior in front of her made her regretted their childhood together, when everything was simplier, when they were just two girls dreaming of adventures. Back then Misha wanted to be a healer, the best healer in Greece, she wanted to go study in Athens. On her side Xena wanted to travel the world, she wanted to see what was outside of Amphipolis. But life came in the way. When Amphipolis was attacked, Xena decided to fight back. Of course Misha was at her side. She was there when Lyceus died, she did everything she could to save him but her knowledge at the time wasn't enough. He died in her arms. That day Xena lost a brother, and she lost her best friend. She never dreamed of Athens again after that.

"Why didn't you tell me ?" asked Alexa in a breath.

Xena herself had difficulty keeping the tears at bay and what she saw in Alexa's eyes was not helping. She knew this look, her mother wore the same after learning of Lyceus' death. Betrayal. The warrior needed to wipe away this look from the girl's eyes. "Because she couldn't." The ruler was still fighting the urge to flee. "It's hard to build a life when everyone around you know you were the Destroyer of Nations' best friend at some point in your life. You don't know half the sacrifice you have to make to make them forget that." She said forcefully staring at the teen.

Alexa didn't understand where she was coming from. Misha seemed to see her struggle. She calmed herself up enough to be able to explain. "After the attack on Amphipolis, being Xena's friend was not easy to say the least. But i refused to stop supporting her. Later, when we started to hear stories about the Destroyer of Nations, i refrained myself. The people, they didn't understand how i could keep defending her." For the first time since Alexa entered the room, Misha found the strength to gaze at her old friend. "I gave up on you" she uttered ashamed.

"It was the best option. They would have questionned your state of mind or thought you were spying for me. No one can live in constant suspicion, they wouldn't have waited long before arresting you or worse."

Unfortunately for the ruler, Misha wasn't seeing thing like that. "I acted like a coward" she said turning her back on them, unable to stop her tears from falling.

"You survived !" Xena couldn't prevent her outburst, she didn't care anymore. She approached the woman forcing her to look at her. "I didn't fight back during Amphipolis' attack to see you get killed by the people we tried to protect."

The vehemence of the warrior stuck the women. Misha took in the scene, the words shared, their intensities and became conscious of the fact that tonight was the first time they were actually talking about the consequences of Amphipolis' attack. Years of building emotions, of unsaid things led them to where they were right now.

The significance of what was happening before her eyes was lost on Alexa though. This was her chance to have answers after all, she wasn't going to let it pass by her. "But you changed ! You became the Conqueror, you saved Greece !"

Xena shook her head at Alexa's exclamation. "'Conqueror' is just another term, i was the same person inside. I just put my focus on something bigger. Besides, it was too late for us." She glanced at Misha. "We had both chose our path at this point. Conqueror or not, our friendship was long gone."

Alexa was sad to hear that. But if she was being honest with herself, she couldn't imagine those two women as friends, even less as best friend. To her knowledge, they had nothing in common. But again, they were young when everything happened, probably around the age that she was now. She wondered if they ever saw each other since this fateful attack on the village. "When did you last saw each other ?"

Misha knew it was now on never. She looked at Xena with a smile Alexa couldn't remember ever seeing on her. "Fifteen years ago."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer : I own Nothing.**

**Comments : I'm so sorry for the delay, this was definitely not supposed to happen, unfortunately work came in the way.**

**Thanks for the reviews and for the private messages.**

"Fifteen years ago." Alexa repeated mechanically.

Xena was refusing to look at the girl. She was doing her best to refrain her urge to strangle Misha. She hated what she was feeling, the anguish, the anger, all those disgusting emotions she felt when she was not in control. This was what Amphipolis has always been about. One foot in this gods forsaken village and she went back to her old self, the teenage girl emotionally immature who has no idea what she is doing.

Her instincts were screaming at her to leave now but she refused to listen. It was now or never. Surely she will be able to make them see that her decisions were necessary if not life saving at the time. So she made the first step and broke the silence.

"I was traveling back from the far east when i decided to stop here. No one knew about my visit. It would have ruined everything if someone had seen me in Amphipolis that day."

Alexa was feeling the story she was about to hear would change everything, for better or worse.

The Conqueror carried on with her tale, reliving the events. "I was a pretty good warlord back then but i knew i could be so much more. I started to make alliances, i built an army, quickly my name went around Greece. I had one goal, unite Greece and take my revenge on the Romans. But i did a very stupid thing, i became pregnant. I couldn't accomplish any of my plans with a baby on my hip. The child would have become a target, my weak point. I couldn't let that happen." She paused. "I made a choice. I decided to hide the baby where i knew she will be safe. Asking my mother would have been too obvious so i chose the only person i trusted."

Misha intervened. "I was married at the time" she started, her voice weak, the memories still painful. "After several years of marriage, i still wasn't with child. I looked for every remedy, nothing worked. We were disappointed, I felt it was unfair. After everything, the fate still wasn't on my side. I went through a very dark period even more than what i lived during Amphipolis' attack because i couldn't do anything about what was happening. That's when Xena came back. She asked me to find you a home. I didn't even think about it, i accepted right then to be this home." She looked up at Alexa with emotion "You save my life Alexa. I know it's a selfish thought but i'm thankful for Xena. I understand that you feel it's unjust but think about the fact that we all had your best interests in mind, protecting you was our first preoccupation."

Alexa was a mess, tears were falling non stop from her eyes. She was submerged by what she was feeling. She was trembling uncontrollably, she was fighting the urge to scream. "No no no" she managed to say shaking her head. "This can't be ! You're lying !" Misha tried to approach the girl wanting to reassure her but Alexa refused the attention. All her life had been a lie. Her biological mother prefered to give her up rather than be bothered by her mere presence. No wonder Misha never answered her questions about her parents. She couldn't tell her she was an unwanted child, what kind of person tell that to a kid ? The kind of the Conqueror apparently, power hungry people without a heart or a soul. Why make the trip here then ? What was it that she wanted coming here ?

She ran a hand over her eyes to wipe away the tears before speaking, looking straight in the eyes of Xena. "I was just a nuisance, an obstacle to your ultimate goal in life. You didn't want me, you gave me up !"

The warrior wasn't used to be talk to like that, but even though, she remained impassive. Her tone matched her composure.

"I had enemies. You wouldn't have survived long if i had decided to keep you with me."

"You could have changed your life !" The girl raged. "But that didn't even cross your mind right ? Your lust for power was more important than the child you just gave birth to. And you passed that burden to your estranged friend." She paused catching her breath, she was feeling betrayed and she knew who was responsible for that feeling. She turned toward Misha. "For years you let me gush stupidly about the Conqueror knowing full well who she was and what she had done. I asked you several times if you had met her, each time you pretended you never talked to her. You lied and lied and lied again !" Her outburst stunned the two women. Misha tried again to get close to Alexa but the girl took a step back, looking at her like she was a stranger. "I would have prefered you telling me my parents were dead !"

Misha didn't even have the time to react because Alexa ran out of the room as quickly as she could.

The two women stood there, alone in the room. Misha couldn't stop fixing the empty spot in front of her. "That's not how it was supposed to happen" she said, her voice barely audible. "You shouldn't have been so ... so ..."

"So truthful ?" Xena said forcefully facing the tavern owner. "We lied for fifteen years. I didn't come here to sugarcoat the truth." She saw the questioning face of Misha. "I tried everything to get rid of her. I didn't want her Misha. I even killed the woman who helped me give birth, i didn't want any witness."

Misha was horrified by what she was hearing "She can't know about that." She grabbed the Conqueror's arm. "Do you hear me Xena ! You will never tell her about that." She finished fiercely.

The Conqueror freed herself from the strong grip of her friend. "Don't you think she needs to know who i really am ? I am not the fantasised hero she seemed to have created." She stepped away from Misha, she needed to. She had to tell the whole truth to the woman, she deserved that much. "I could have come here sooner you know, since i put a foot in Corinth actually. But i didn't. Not once i thought about the idea of keeping her with me, let alone raise her. During those fifteen years i sometimes forgot about her, i even convinced myself that i had dreamed all of it." Even to herself this seemed tough but she couldn't change the facts.

"What changed then ?" Asked Misha quietly.

"I have everything i dreamed of. Greece is thriving, we're more powerful than ever. Even more powerful than Rome. And yet i can't shake off this emptiness." Xena sat down on the bed. "For the first time i have regrets."

##

Patrocle approached his Lord with caution. He could feel the woman was in a foul mood. "We are ready to go My Liege." He announced bowing.

The Conqueror nodded. She saw Liam approached her tentatively.

"My Lord." He bowed. "I wasn't expecting for you to leave so soon. I hope it is not a sign of displeasure."

"This is not." She looked at him. "If i was displeased you'd know about it" she finished.

The poor man visibly paled, he could not suppress a tremor at the look the ruler sent him.

The Conqueror didn't want to wait here any longer, she took the lead of the small party and took the route to the place she chose for her meeting with the Amazons. She was thinking about the last time she talked to the Amazon Queen. Years have passed since she last saw the fierce blond. The remembrance pained her, like it always did. She pushed the thought away though, it was not the time to be polluted by past feelings. _The past is in the past_, she told herself.

The village was far behind them now. They were moving silently, all too focused on their surroundings. That's when they saw a lonely figure coming toward them. The Conqueror recognized almost immediately Alexa. They passed each other, the girl was visibly surprised but quickly changed her composure and pretended to not be interested.

Her attitude though, wasn't to the liking of one of the Conqueror's soldier who recognized her too, he hollered in her direction. "Do you need someone to, again, tell you how to act in the presence of Greece ruler ? You were lucky the first time but you should know, many were punished for much less."

Patrocle was eyeing his Lord expecting her to say something. He didn't exactly know who this girl was but he guessed she probably was one of the reason of their trip here. Not seeing any reaction from his Lord, he took it upon himself to intervene. "Don't frighten the girl Draco."

But Draco didn't listen. Seeing the girl was ignoring him, he directed his horse and stopped in front of her. He glared at her, but Alexa didn't care about him, she just wanted to be as far as she could from the Conqueror. She tried to get round his horse but the soldier refused to let her and instead he deliberately collided into her. The strength of his horse made her fall on her knees.

"Now that's the pose we expect people to be in when in the presence of the Conqueror" Draco mocked. Alexa heard the men laugh. She was still livid from last night, her actual situation wasn't helping. She stood up and tried again to go round around his horse. This time he dismounted and grabbed her by the collar.

"No one told you you were dismissed."

She struggled to get free but the man's grip was strong. Her attempts made the men laugh even harder.

Draco was smirking. "You're full of energy. Maybe we should consider the option of keeping you with us, you would be useful during our travel. What do you think my Liege, should we keep her ?"

Alexa glanced at the Conqueror who seemed totally indifferent by what was happening. An irrational fear gained ground in her stomach. She had heard tales of the Destroyer of Nations warriors, of the women disappearing after the attack of their villages. What if she became one of those women ? After all she told the Conqueror yesterday that she would have prefered her dead, maybe this was payback for her insolence. These thoughts awoke something in her, she struggled even more and managed to crush hard the soldier's foot, she thought the pain would make him let go but instead he became even more angry. She closed her eyes when she saw him prepare to strike her, but nothing came. When she opened her eyes, her attacker was on the ground and the Conqueror was standing there staring at her. Without breaking eye contact the ruler adressed her second in command.

"Patrocle, keep going while i escort her back to Amphipolis."

"Yes My Liege" The man acknowledged.

Alexa wanted to tell her she didn't need anyone to get back to the village, especially not her but she froze. In those piercing eyes she could see a warning, what happened yesterday couldn't get out of the tavern. The night before, they were alone, no soldier, no title, no nothing but here things were different, she was in the presence of the Conqueror and her army, and the ruler had to act as such especially in front of her men. Alexa knew she had no other choice but to obey the ruler.

After mounting her horse, the warrior offered her hand to Alexa. The girl was surprised with which facility the ruler pulled her on her horse. "Hold on to me" Alexa did as she was told but refused to utter a word in the direction of the ruler.

Unexpectedly the said ruler was quickly quite tired of the silence. It was a strange thing to say because she usually was a woman of few words. While going to bed yesterday, she thought back at their conversation. She had to remind herself why she decided to come here in the first place.

"You should stay away from my men from now on, especially Draco he is not known for his compassion. Keep in mind no one knows who you are." She tried to keep an even tone, definitely not wanting to act as the Conqueror with the girl.

Unfortunately for the ruler, her companion was apparently stubborn. Not liking being ignored, she was about to make a remark when she heard Alexa, her voice faint and accusatory. "You thought that being the Conqueror you could come here and shatter my life. You're so used of everyone following your every whim. But i won't" she finished with force.

They were at the entrance of Amphipolis. The Conqueror stopped her horse, dismounted and helped Alexa do the same. The ruler stood in front of the girl, a frightening view for anyone who was this close to the woman but Alexa refused to look intimidated. She had to show the ruler she wasn't a naive girl who could be easily manipulated. She had to stand up for herself.

The ruler was surprised and quite pleased to see the teenager not faltering in front of her. "I may not be what you were expecting and the choice is yours to keep telling you stories about the identity of your parents or you can think they are dead. If you choose that i will keep away from your life, pretend we never had this discussion. You will go on with your life, and i will do the same."

Alexa stared at the woman a few feet from her. How could they be related ? Apart form their dark hairs they absolutely didn't look alike.

"You're leaving either way, i don't see how what i say will change anything." She said defiant.

"I'm just leaving for a day or two. When i come back we will have a proper talk." Alexa watched the warrior mount her horse not knowing what to answer or if she was even supposed to answer. Two days ago she would have been thrilled by the idea and now she wasn't even sure she wanted to be in the same room as the ruler. How ironic life could be.

XXX

Eponin was frantically looking around them, searching for every little suspicious moves.

"Relax Eponin." The Amazon was smiling at her companion.

"This is madness Gabrielle. Why did i even accept to do that !" The Amazon was really unconfortable with the situation she was in. When her Queen suggested she should go to the meeting alone to not arouse suspicion, Eponin genuinely thought she was joking. She should have known better. Gabrielle has always found an escort to be unnecessary, her suggestion shouldn't have been a surprise. To the Weapon Master relief, Ephiny firmly disagreed with their Queen's proposition. Unfortunately for them both, they didn't manage to convince Gabrielle to leave with a decent escort. Actually, the Queen thought one companion would be enough, but only because she thought a woman traveling alone would probably draw too much attention.

"You admitted yourself that no one would expect the Amazon Queen to travel dressed like a commoner and without an escort." Smartly commented the said Amazon Queen.

Eponin knew her friend was making fun of her. "This is crazy even coming from you."

Gabrielle sent her a smile. "Don't worry we're almost there."

Eponin choked on a breath. "You really think i'll be more relaxed once in front of the Conqueror ?"

The Queen looked over her shoulder smirking. "I thought you got passed that fear of her."

"I'm being serious Gabrielle. You haven't seen each other for years. You don't know how she's like now. Just be careful, that's all i'm asking for."

The Queen nodded. She knew Eponin was right. Since the signature of the peace treaty with the Centaurs, her relation with Greece's ruler became strictly professional. The letters were devoided of personal interest. After a few months she even noticed the Conqueror was not the one to write the letters anymore. Gabrielle realized then that she was just one ruler among the others. In spite of this fact, she insisted to be the one to personally write to the Conqueror. If anything she refused to forget their past together.

They finally arrived at their destination. Gabrielle's eyes went right away in the direction of the infamous but still so beautiful Conqueror. She approached not loosing the ruler from her sight. She smiled when the Conqueror acknowledged her.

"Lord Conqueror." Gabrielle bowed lowly.

"Queen Gabrielle." Simply said the ruler.

They were staring at each other, studying one another. After all those years, they were finally reunited.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**Here we go again. ****Hope you will like it.**

The Conqueror remained stoic in front of the Amazon Queen. She was aware the young Queen was pleased to see her, Gabrielle was skilled for many things but hiding her emotions has never been one of them, at least not with her.

The Amazon Queen finally averted her eyes from the Conqueror and noticed the man standing at a safe distance from his Lord.

"Patrocle i'm glad to see you again" she said with a small smile.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well Queen Gabrielle" The man bowed. He always respected the woman. She was a fine warrior even when he first met her. It wouldn't surprise him if he was now unable to stand his ground against her even with his years of practice. When he first saw her spar, he remembered thinking that with the right training she would probably become a Hades of a warrior, she obviously had it in her blood.

Though at first glance the Amazon Queen seemed to be the complete opposite of his Lord, the two women were irresistibly drawn to each other. They had tried for a long time to ignore it to no avail. He had the honor of seeing them fight side by side and what he saw amazed him. They were so complementary it was beautiful to watch. The thought of what those two could accomplish together was frightening. They were the sword and its sheath, each one capable of being the one for the other. Each time in perfect symbiosis. Years ago known as the Destroyer of Nations and the Amazon Princess, today known as the Conqueror and The Amazon Queen.

"May I present you the Amazon Nation Weapon Master, Eponin." The Amazon bowed in her turn.

The Conqueror nodded at the woman. The last time she met with the Amazons, Cyane was the Weapon Master of Gabrielle's tribe. A talented warrior she would have tried to recruit for her own army if the woman hadn't lost her life trying to save her Queen, an event which propelled Gabrielle at the head of her own tribe. But this new Weapon Master wasn't of any interest for the Conqueror. No, what piqued her interest was the change she could guess of the Amazon Queen's body. Even dressed in those awful rags, well defined muscles could be seen. She had the body of a seasoned warrior, in the Conqueror's eyes she was truly beautiful.

She thought about the reason of such disguise, the two Amazons were not wearing any appropriate thing for such a meeting. Usually the rulers she dealt with were dressed for the occasion, it was a sign of respect for her as Greece ruler as much as the need for them to show their own status. The Conqueror was certain the Queen in front of her didn't even think about the idea of changing her clothes before their encounter. She never cared about status, something the Conqueror had always found irritating. The same could be said about her attitude regarding her own safety. The trouble she was putting herself into, the risks she was taking had always enraged the Conqueror. Unfortunately, even after all those years, the Amazon Queen seemed to have kept some of her old habits. The Conqueror wanted to say something about her lack of judgment, coming here without protection, this was foolish for a person of her rank but she reminded herself this was not her place. Though, she could voice her displeasure about her lack of manners, she was Greece ruler after all and even secret their encounter was an official one.

"I see you didn't have time to dress up" she said coldly staring at the Queen.

Gabrielle was not surprised by the tone. "We didn't want to attract anyone attention during our travel. I hope you will excuse our attire My Liege." Gabrielle responded with deference. She could not see Eponin but she was sure the woman was glaring at the back of her head.

The Weapon Master was stuck by her Queen's attitude. Amazons were not under the Conqueror's power, such deference was preposterous. She knew they were able to keep their lands only because of the Conqueror's leniency toward their Queen but they were a proud people and seeing her Queen behave like a mere subject was difficult to swallow.

Xena was momentarily stunned too, the Amazons were indeed collaborating with Greece Empire but they were a sovereign Nation, she was in no way their "Liege". Besides, they may have not seen each other for several years but one thing Xena remembered was that Gabrielle was not the submissive type, far from it. The ruler didn't like the game the Queen was trying to play, was she mocking her ?

She had to admit though that hearing Gabrielle use her title awoke an old feeling in her belly but she forced herself to push these thoughts away. She needed to focus, their past history could not interfere.

"I will excuse this _conduct_ of yours but only because I'd like to know why I had to travel all the way down here. I am starting to think Amazons don't know the way to Corinth." She remarked harshly.

This coldness again. The Amazon Queen barely managed to suppress a shudder. Even when writing to the Conqueror to ask for this meeting Gabrielle knew their encounter would be tensed, she had no idea that it would be to that extent.

"I'd like to discuss the matter of this meeting in private, if you may." The Queen requested gently.

The Conqueror was tempted to refuse. As much as the Queen was skilled with weapons she was even more talented with words, a thing the Conqueror always deeply admired. The demand though was probably justified. So she made a sign to Patrocle. The man left the Conqueror side to join the rest of his companions. The Conqueror looked up in the direction of the Queen's guard who wasn't moving. She understood why, the woman was obviously not trusting her.

"Don't you think your Queen capable enough to stand her ground against me, Amazon ?" she dared in all seriousness.

Eponin saw the look her Queen sent in her direction, a look every Amazons dreaded to see. She realized too late her action reflected poorly on her leader. Something the Conqueror didn't wait to jump on. Eponin bowed lowly before her Queen and gritted her teeth. "Forgive me my Queen". Before leaving she glanced at the Conqueror, the sight made her shiver. How could her Queen trust her ?

Gabrielle chose to stay silent. She was known to be a patient woman but the behavior of the Conqueror was starting to weigh on her nerves. She was aware the ruler was testing her. In the past she would have jump at the bait, but she was not the young princess Xena met years ago anymore. She was a Queen, she was ruling a Nation, she had to learn to put her personal pride aside. Today she could show Greece ruler that time has passed, that she changed and most of all that she had no regret. So she took a deep breath and looked at the Conqueror's piercing eyes.

"I am glad you took our request seriously."

"Are you suggesting i sometimes don't ?" Asked the Conqueror.

"It's just that you are usually not so quick to answer them." The Queen bit her tongue feeling her resolve faltering.

"You must have forgotten I rule an Empire, many are asking for some of my time. Amazons are hardly a priority." Pointed the ruler.

Gabrielle was caught off guard by the aggressive tone of the ruler. She refrained herself from voicing a sharp reply, she didn't want to antagonize the woman. This meeting wasn't about them, so much was at stake here, Gabrielle needed to act smartly.

The Amazon Queen again took a deep breath, knowing her next words will determine the future of her Nation. "An incident occurred a few days ago between us and the Centaurs." The Queen tried to choose her words wisely. The Conqueror was one the most brilliant mind she had the chance to come across, she had to be careful. "Unfortunately, this incident led to the death of both a Centaur and an Amazon." The Amazon could not see any emotion in the eyes of her counterpart, so much like the woman she knew years ago and yet so far from her also. She could not put her finger on it but she could see something different in those eyes, something which wasn't there before.

"I met with Kaleipus, we managed to avoid an escalation. He promised to soothe his companions, like me not wanting to see our Nations fight for nothing." She stopped her tale. "He confided in me. He's fearing for his kind. He seems to think an uprising in Centaurs territory is close, more voices are asking for an alliance with the Romans rather than what they have right now."

"What they have is freedom. Something Romans will never grant them. They were chased in the past, they will be chased again." The Conqueror didn't like where this conversation was going. Since the signature of the peace treaty between Centaurs and Amazons, the ruler made a point of staying far away from Amazon's affairs. She even put Patrocle in charge of dealing with the Amazon Nation. Being here in front of their Queen was hard, it was something she has managed to avoid for years and yet here she was, listening to the woman. She was surprised by the fact that even after so much time, the past was still so present in her mind.

"That was Kaleipus thought too." Acknowledged Gabrielle. "We avoided a war with the Centaurs, but we can't do anything to avoid one with the Romans. I had to convince the Amazon Counsel that I could diffuse the situation."

"You convinced them to ask me for help ? I see your bard side is still working." She commented with derision. The look she received from the Queen would have made anyone squirm, it had no effect on the Conqueror though. "Rome would never attack deliberately but organize a rebellion in Centaurs territory that would be genius. Many Centaurs were disapproving the terms of the peace treaty, even during its discussion, pretending Amazons were favoured at their expenses, so I am not surprised by the action. What is astounishing is that you didn't see it coming. Kaleipus is respected but he is old and Centaurs don't have another strong leader to put at the head of their Nation. If the rebels were to take the lead your Nation is doomed, Romans would have their revenge, I would fight the Centaurs and take my lands back. Of course the Centaurs would believe the Romans will come to their rescue, which they will never do."

"You're assuming we will lose against them." The Queen said strongly.

"Even if you win, you would have so much casualties your Nation would be on its knees unable to defend its frontiers. The Romans are counting on the fact that I would not let the borders in such precarious hands."

"So you think this is just a plot."

"Yes. Rome want to eliminate the Amazons, you humiliated them, plus in time of war you would be faithful to Greece. Getting rid of the Amazons and the Centaurs will send a strong message to Roman senate and to all the conquered. They want to show everyone the Roman Empire is still strong."

"What is Greece ruler stance regarding this issue ? The security of the frontier is at stake after all."

The Conqueror avoided the Queen's look. "A growing number of my Generals are suggesting for quite some time that Greece agreement with the Amazons should come to an end. Many rulers from conquered land don't understand why Amazons lands is not attached to the Greek Empire, like theirs are."

"The same could be said about the Centaurs."

"Centaurs land is useless. Letting them their land was a practical move, I didn't want them to create trouble."

"What about the Amazons ?"

The Conqueror looked straight in the eyes of the Queen. The Amazon was shocked by the intensity of the stare. "The fate of the Amazons is not of Greece concern."

Coming here, she knew Xena would not make this easy for her. "I came here because I want to avoid a war."

The Conqueror would have smiled at that if she wasn't so tensed. Her Generals wanted to have the Amazons under their thumbs but she always denied them this pleasure. She wanted the Amazons far away and this mess they put themselves in was not helping her case. "Then the Amazons fate is in your hands Queen Gabrielle. You can wait, fight back and potentially lose, not only a war but your Nation as well." She looked pointedly in the Queen's eyes. "Or you can yield and ask for Greece help."

The Amazon remained calm despite what was unfolding before her. A war, that was something she could deal with but this, this was not what she came here for. "Greece's help will not come without a price I presume."

"Only a protectorate can expect my protection." Said the Conqueror adamantly.

The Conqueror waited, she thought the Queen would be outraged by the suggestion. To her amazement the younger woman wasn't.

"Why now ? Why does the Romans chose to act now ?" Wondered Gabrielle.

"They thought it best to wait a few years, thinking that after enough time I will not care anymore about the fate of the Amazon Queen."

Gabrielle looked at the older woman. So much memories, so much happiness and so much hurt too. "Were they right ?"

Xena took a step forward, she wanted to make the woman understand. _The past is in the past, _she repeated in her head like an old litany. "I stopped caring from the moment you chose the Amazons over Greece."

XXX

Alexa was in her bedroom. Scrolls were laying in front of her. After the days she's had, she suddenly felt the urge to write, she needed to get her feelings out of her chest.

She hasn't shared a word with Misha since she left the tavern hurriedly after learning the truth about her relation with the Conqueror. She avoided the woman. With the lies she fed her, how could she trust her now. If she was being honest with herself, she would say that she understands. But she didn't want to give them any excuses.

Her time away from the tavern, away from Misha, away from everyone really, allowed her to think. She forced herself to think back at those fifteen years, she needed to put every one of her memories into context. The first thought which came to her mind was Cyrene.

Cyrene took them in when Misha's husband died, killed by bandits while he was working his fields, at least that was the official story. She had been too young to remember. But maybe that was a lie too. Nonetheless the woman offered a job and a roof at the new widow and her kid, for old time sake. Now that she knew about Misha's past with the Conqueror and her family, she understood why.

After everything the tavern owner did for them, how could Misha keep her identity a secret. Thinking that Cyrene lived five years without knowing the girl who was growing under her roof was in fact her granddaughter was overwhelming for Alexa. Cyrene considered Misha like her adoptive daughter, she gave her the tavern, she gave her everything.

She was so focused on her writing that she didn't hear Misha come in the house. The knock on her door surprised her. She didn't want to talk to anyone, she wanted to be alone. What she didn't know was that the woman behind the door was sick of the situation.

Misha came in the room without being invited. Alexa stubbornly refused to face her. The avoidance, this was the worst of it all for Misha.

The woman sat on the girl's bed and watched her. At first glance, you would not guess this girl was Xena's. What gave it off was the mimics, the look of intense concentration, the tight lips when angry or frustrated, the toothy smile when happy. Misha was seeing a fifteen year old Xena sitting in front of her, an innocent and so full of life Xena.

The remembrance pushed her to break this terrible silence. "Watching you grow up I couldn't stop myself from thinking about what your life would have been if Xena had chose to keep you with her." Alexa kept writing, Misha went on. "She wouldn't have given up her dream, I knew her enough to be sure of that. I tried to give you a normal life and when I see you now, I regret nothing. You could hate me for the rest of your life, it wouldn't change the opinion I have on my actions."

"I don't hate you." Said Alexa. "I don't even know what I am feeling." Misha could not bear the sadness she was hearing in the girl's voice. She got up to stand behind Alexa and put her arms around her neck.

"Your life is going to be different" The woman murmured.

"It doesn't have to be."

Misha moved from her position to face the girl. "Don't put aside what Xena can offer you Alexa, especially if this is only to get back at her. Believe me when I say you will be the sole loser." She had to make her understand.

"Because she doesn't care."

"No." She said shaking her head. "Because she has nothing to lose. You, on the other hand you have your life ahead of you. You might not realize it yet but life is a matter of opportunity. Don't reject her on false excuses or emotional ones. You can't sacrifice your future just because you disagree about the choices we made." Then she took the girl in an embrace. "Whether you like it or not, you are the Conqueror's daughter Alexa."

##

The tavern was empty except for the five persons sitting in the kitchen.

"Bandits." Affirmed one of the soldiers.

Misha looked at him. "Bandits ? On the day of the Conqueror's departure ? This is not a coincidence."

"It could be." Answered a second soldier. "Amphipolis was the target of violent attacks these past years."

"Yes but the Conqueror secured the area. It's been moons since the last one." Intervened Liam.

"Well it's bad luck for them to attack while we are here then" said one of the soldier. He looked at his Captain.

"Inform the Conqueror about the situation. Hopefully our sole presence will scare them away." Ordered the Captain.

"And if they're not ?" Asked Liam anxiously.

The Captain stared at him. "Then we will fight."

Misha scoffed at that. "Just the three of you ? You don't even know how many they are."

"We are trained soldiers, let us worry about that." Angrily replied the Captain.

But the tavern owner was not going to let them off the hook. "And I worry about the inhabitants of this village."

Liam felt the tension growing in the room. "Misha, I am sure they know what they are doing. Besides, like they said, upon seeing the colors of the Conqueror they will probably be too frightened to do anything."

The tavern owner wasn't so sure. Something was not right, she could feel it in her guts.


	6. Chapter 6

Misha went back to her house after her meeting with the greek soldiers. She was driven by an irrepressible need to find Alexa, she needed to make sure the teen was all right. She didn't like what she had learned. She had a bad feeling about the situation. But when she arrived home, Alexa wasn't there. It wasn't that late she reassured herself, the girl was probably reading somewhere.

Some months ago, Alexa discovered the personal library of Liam, since then she spent most of her time reading his scrolls. Misha was sure the girl had read them all by now.

Her love for knowledge unfortunately had an impact on her social life. She never had many friends, Misha tried to push her to open herself to others but with time she realized Alexa was not the difficult one. The other youngsters of the village weren't friendly with her, they were not mean but often avoided her and simply didn't reach out. Several times she saw the girl sitting by herself reading something while the other kids were playing not far away. Alexa always told her she didn't mind. Lately, she even insisted that she didn't want to pretend to be someone else just to be accepted. Misha realized that her current predicament was not going to improve her situation. Being the Conqueror's daughter surely won't help you make friends.

Alexa was way smarter than most teens her age. The girl often tried to appear tough but she was sensitive, way more than you would think at first glance. Misha knew that, she knew Alexa needed constant reassurance and comfort. Misha thought about Xena. She needed to talk to her about that, about what she should expect, to not be fooled by the persona the girl was trying to pull off. She wasn't certain Xena would care though, that was the main fear of the tavern owner. She had difficulty seeing the Conqueror as the maternal type. Alexa was still young, and she was used to have support, care and love. Misha doubted Xena could give her all that.

Alexa finally came home, her arms filled with scrolls.

"I hope this time you asked for Liam's permission to borrow them." Misha asked sighing.

Alexa jumped at the voice. "Don't scare me like that." Misha send her a small smile. "I thought you were going to stay at the tavern late tonight." Commented the teen.

"I wanted to see you." The woman answered gently. Alexa sensed the woman was not telling her everything.

"Did something happen ?" she asked with apprehension. Misha hesitated, Alexa saw it. "We said we would not lie to each other anymore." The hurt in the girl's voice convinced Misha.

"The Conqueror's guards were informed of suspicious activities close to Amphipolis. They think it's just commons thieves but ..." The woman didn't finish thinking suddenly it wasn't fair to worry the girl. Alexa though wasn't seeing things like that.

"But you don't agree with them."

Misha shared her thoughts reluctantly. "I don't believe it is a coincidence that they're seen mere hours after the Conqueror left the village."

"I heard that the Conqueror only took her personal guards to come here, they are the elites of Greece's army."

"I know. I just …" Misha stopped herself, not wanting to frighten Alexa. She was going to keep her anxiety to herself. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. Promise me that you will do what I taught you if they come here."

Alexa nodded at the seriousness of the request. "Run toward the hills and hide" she recited.

"Yes." Misha smiled and took the girl in a fierce hug. "Don't look back, even for me Alexa. Promise me."

"I promise." Alexa answered bitting her lip. She knew she was lying, she would not flee without Misha, never.

##

The tavern owner couldn't find her sleep. She decided she would be more useful getting a head start at the tavern. When she walked inside the tavern, the Captain of the Conqueror's guard was sitting with Liam. They looked up at her. Liam couldn't conceal his worry.

"Do you have any news ?" inquired Misha.

"They lost them." Informed Liam.

Misha was stunned. "How ?"

The Captain spoke up before Liam could say anything else. "They could have effectively been scared away when realizing Greek soldiers were here."

"Or they're hiding somewhere waiting to attack us !" replied Misha loosing her patience. She turned toward Liam. "We have to warn everyone."

"You will just create a panic !" intervened the Captain. But Misha ignored him and kept fixing her gaze on Liam.

"We don't have time to evacuate Misha. If you are right, people will be safer in their house, than out into the night."

"Three soldiers won't save us Liam."

Liam stood up. "The Conqueror will come to our rescue, we have to wait."

Misha turned back toward the Captain. "Where is the Conqueror ?"

"This is a secret information." He answered her.

"You can at least tell us how long it will take for her to come back here !" Angrily requested Misha.

The Captain hesitated but given the situation they were in he relented. "Half a day if they hurry."

Misha and Liam looked at him. "Almost a whole day if your messenger hurry himself." Noted Liam with distress. The Captain nodded.

Just then a guard rushed in, out of breath. "We have eyes on them."

##

Misha ran toward her house.

"Alexa ! Wake up !" She screamed effectively awaking the teen.

Alexa was surprised to see Misha rummaging through her things.

"What's happening ?" the girl asked concerned.

But the woman was not listening to her. She threw a few clothes at her "Get dressed." She ordered with hurry.

Alexa obeyed. When dressed she followed the woman in the kitchen. "Misha, what's happening ? You're scaring me."

Misha seemed to finally acknowledge the teen. "They're coming."

Alexa still half asleep had no idea what the woman was talking about. "Who is coming ?"

"Thieves, bandits, whatever you want to call them. They will be at the gates soon. You have to go now."

"You're not coming ?"

"I can't leave. They will need someone with healing skills."

"I can help too."

"No !" The woman shouted. "You do as I say. You go hide in the hills and you wait there. We will come find you when this is over. Trust me."

_We _? Thought Alexa. "_You_ will come find me."

Misha didn't look at the girl. She knew she could not promise her that.

"Misha !"

The woman faced Alexa. "Don't worry about me, i'll be all right." She tried to reassure. She pushed her outside the house. "You have enough food and water. Remember to not start a fire, no one can know where you are." Alexa nodded.

Before letting her leave, Misha took Alexa in her arms one last time. "I love you" she said with a crack in her voice. She finally let her go. Alexa looked at her with tears in her eyes.

##

Alexa was walking alone towards the hills. She was tired, her knees were scratched due to the constant tripping over who knows what. She knew the path but the night was moonless, she couldn't see anything. She decided to take a break, that's when she realized she was followed. She stood there trying to be as silent as she could, her heart racing. To her relief, her pursuers were merely women and children. Seeing them here could only mean one thing, they were ordered to evacuate the village. Most of them barely had time to put a coat on their shoulders. Children were still in their pajamas, some weren't wearing shoes.

Alexa stopped a woman. "Did you see what was happening ?"

"I … The village … they attacked." Stuttered the woman still in shock.

"How many were they ?"

"Too many." The woman looked at Alexa with hollowed eyes. "The Conqueror's soldiers, they requested the men of the village to fight with them. My husband ..." The woman bursted into tears.

Alexa looked back at Amphipolis with resolution in her eyes. She handed her bag at the woman. "There is food and water, a blanket too." The woman stared at her. "Don't start a fire or they will know where to find you." She repeated Misha's warning. Alexa started walking back to Amphipolis when the woman took her arm effectively stopping her.

"You can't go back, this is too dangerous."

Alexa knew that but staying here while Misha was risking her life over there was too much. She freed herself from the woman and started walking again.

Her walk turned to a run as she got more and more anxious. She couldn't feel her legs anymore. She slowed down once close to the village. She directed herself toward the tavern. Step after step she could see bodies and blood surrounding her. But what shocked her was the silence. Not a cry, not a word could be heard. It looked like the village was empty, she felt like she was all alone. She stood there in the middle of the road unable to move anymore.

"Alexa ?" Liam was standing there, his arms full of scrolls. She watched him walk toward her, dropping the scrolls on the dirty road. The sight offended her, the man was usually so neat. "Alexa what are you doing here ?" He saw blood on her legs. "Are you hurt ?"

But Alexa wasn't listening to him, she just wanted to find Misha. "Misha … where is Misha ?" she barely managed to utter.

"We need to look at your wounds." Liam said ignoring her question. He put a hand on her shoulder and guided her toward his house. When Alexa realized they were moving away from the tavern, she forced him to let go and walked in the other direction. But Liam stopped her. "You can't go over there."

"I want to see Misha, she told me she was going to help the wounded." She passed by him.

"I can't let you go in there Alexa." He said pleading. She crossed his eyes, she saw pain in them and sadness too. A sense of dread washed over her. She started running toward the tavern, not paying attention to Liam who was calling her name. Once in the tavern what she saw made her take a step back. The room was transformed, the tables were used to take in the seriously injured, on the floor were the lucky ones, those who survived with few bruises. She felt a hand on her shoulder, Liam was talking to her but she wasn't listening, too preoccupied by what she was witnessing. Alexa was searching the room for Misha when something caught her attention in the back of the room.

One of the Conqueror's guard was hunched over someone desperately trying to keep the person alive. Alexa was not far away from him when she saw another man halt the movement of the guard. The guard took a step back from the table and turned facing her. She saw the look of surprise on his face, his expression quickly changed to one of pity. "I am so sorry." Alexa wondered why he was telling her that. His body was blocking the view but when he moved himself to the side, she understood.

Misha was laying on the table, her dress covered in blood. At the sight, the girl couldn't suppress a horrifying cry. Liam was at her side in an instant, he took her in his arms. An eerie silence covered the place, the only noise coming from the sound of the girl's shrieking voice. Alexa's pain was washing over the whole room, no one dared to move, everyone too shocked by what they were the spectators of.

Liam had troubled keeping the tears at bay, Alexa was holding onto him with so much strength it was starting to hurt but he didn't care, ha was not going to let go. He felt the girl choked on tears, gasping for breath so he pushed her away from his chest wanting to calm her down. He saw the look of grief on her face and it broke his heart.

Alexa had trouble catching her breath, she was suffocating. She tried to free herself from Liam but he wouldn't let her go. He was talking to her, telling her to breath slowly, telling her she was going to be all right, that she just needed to calm herself. But Alexa knew she was not going to be all right, because if she looked up she would still see Misha laying there, because even if she calmed herself Misha would still be dead.

XXX

"_I stopped caring from the moment you chose the Amazons over Greece."_

The last words of the Conqueror felt like a punch in the chest for the Amazon Queen. They chose to separate after that, knowing they wouldn't be able to talk to each other without animosity. They needed their space.

The night was about to fall. The Amazon Queen and her Weapon Master made camp far away from the one of the Conqueror. Eponin didn't dare ask questions. Her Queen was seething and she knew better than to inquire about what happened. Gabrielle went for a walk to calm her nerves, she managed to find a hidden pond in a remote area, such a peaceful place.

"How did you find this place ?"

Gabrielle jumped at the voice, drawing her sais from her boots.

Xena stood there not moving. "You didn't hear me I see. You lost your touch." She commented.

Gabrielle refused to respond to the taunt. Instead she chose to turn around and go back to her camp.

Seeing the Amazon leave, the Conqueror intervened. "Don't. I was leaving."

The Amazon watched the woman move and realized they were alone and at a safe distance from any guards. This was an opportunity she could not let pass by her. They needed to talk things out, once and for all. Despite everything, she could not forget the fact they were friends once after all.

"Wait" The Queen uttered. The Conqueror looked back at her. "What you said earlier, you made it sound like my decision was a surprise for you."

The ruler gazed at her. She played with the idea to play dumb and pretend to not understand what the woman was talking about. Unfortunately, like the Amazon, she was aware that it was maybe time for them to definitively put the past behind them. "I offered you to rule an Empire, with me at your side but you chose the Amazons. You chose them over us."

"Greece was never my dream Xena. Unify the Amazon's tribes that was why I fought for all those years. You knew that, you were there !"

"You chose to lie to yourself I see. Your Amazons were already unified long before the peace treaty with the Centaurs. When you had what you wanted, lands for your Amazons, you left. I was just a mean to your end." Finished Xena with disgust.

"Like I was for you. You really think you would have accomplished what you did so quickly without me ?" Challenged the Amazon Queen. Xena was obviously taken aback by the vehemence of the younger woman. Gabrielle took this at her advantage and went on. "I saw back then what was waiting for me if I was to stay by your side and i couldn't stand it ! I know i am not one to judge but i drew a line, never the one i love, to never be that monster with them. You had your demons Xena and i couldn't cope with them, especially not if i was to become your target." Gabrielle paused sensing she'd hit a painful spot. She waited to see what would be Xena's reaction to her words. When she saw the ruler wasn't going to jump at her neck to silence her, she went on with her speech. "When I took my decision, when I decided to join the Amazons for good, we had already lost each other. You're the one who is lying to herself if you think we were still an item back then. You didn't even stop me when I left ! You know why ? Because you knew we were just hurting each other by staying together. Accepting to rule the Amazon Nation was not a pretext Xena, this was me choosing to be the better man."

Xena was staring at the Amazon Queen visibly shaken by the truthfulness of the woman's words. She wanted to retort something but she heard someone approaching.

"My Lord" Patrocle said loud enough to be heard by them both. "A messenger arrived from Amphipolis My Lord."

That made the Conqueror tensed. "What does he want ?" She saw him hesitate not sure he could speak freely in front of the Amazon Queen. The ruler made a sign telling him to speak up.

"They caught sight of prowlers close to the village. The messenger explained that the Captain of your guard wasn't particularly worried but that he was questioned by members of the village." He paused waiting to see the ruler's reaction, when he saw none he shared his last bit of information. "He mentioned the tavern owner as the most vocal of them all."

The reference to Misha struck a chord. She felt she was reliving an old nightmare. "Tell everyone to ready themselves. We're leaving." The Conqueror ordered.

"My Lord ?" Patrocle didn't know how to react. "I can lead a small group toward Amphipolis to check on them."

"I am going to check on them myself." The Conqueror replied dryly. Patrocle bowed knowing it was no use to try to convince his Lord to change her mind. He was waiting for the Conqueror to lead the way back to the camp when he heard the Amazon Queen.

"I'm coming with you."

The Conqueror turned around facing the Queen. "This is not an Amazon matter." She said between clenched teeth. She had to muster all her self control to stay civil with the Amazon Queen since the beginning of their reunion but she could feel her patience getting to an end.

The Amazon felt the hostility but chose to ignore it. "It would be faster for you to just go my way rather than to waste time trying to convince me to stay."

Patrocle's eyes grew wide at the Amazon's audacity. He looked at the Conqueror expecting her to lose it but to his amazement the ruler just turned around and walked away without another word. The Amazon Queen saw the bewildered look on the man's face. "Even the Conqueror know you can't win against a bard Patrocle." She said winking at him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer : I own nothing.**

**Comments : Thanks again for the reviews. I hope the story stays interesting. **

**As you probably guessed, Gabrielle and Xena have a lot to process. It will take time but they will get there.**

**And Alexa well ... let's hope she finds the strength to face the world she is about to encounter. **

The trip back to Amphipolis proved to be uneventful. No one dared to say a word, not even the Amazon Queen. The Conqueror's guards were tensed, they didn't know what they will be up against once back in the village. They had travelled all night long despite Patrocle's attempts to convince his Lord that it was madness. They couldn't see a thing, Patrocle didn't think it would serve them if half of the men were to break their neck before their arrival. But the ruler didn't care.

"Smoke." One of the guard announced pointing in the village's direction. The Conqueror didn't comment and kept going. She was the first one to pass the village gates, followed closely by Patrocle. She dismounted not far away from the Captain of her guard who bowed deeply. The ruler could see the bruises on the man's face and blood on his usually pristine uniform.

"What happened ?" She asked with authority.

The Captain got to the point. "A group of men attacked after nightfall."

"Thieves ?"

"They were too well organized to be mere thieves My Liege. Mercenaries more likely. We managed to capture one of them alive."

"Did he say something ?"

"We thought we would wait for your return to interrogate him My Liege."

She would love to do that but first she needed to make sure Misha and Alexa were all right. She made a sign to Patrocle who understood the ruler was putting him in charge of the prisoner. "Stay discreet I don't want to attract attention." She added as a second thought.

"My Lord." Patrocle acknowledged.

The Conqueror turned her attention toward the Captain. "Casualties."

"Women and children were able to evacuate safely" The Conqueror was relieved to hear that, it meant Misha and Alexa were safe.

"We had to ask for the men of the village to fight at our side. Some didn't make it." He finished sadly.

"Lord Conqueror." Liam was standing near them, "Forgive me for interrupting but … could you come with me."

"The Conqueror has better things to do Liam" said the Captain but Liam ignored him.

"This is about Misha."

The ruler's blood froze in her veins.

##

Alexa was sitting on the floor a few feet from the table where Misha was still laying on. She was hugging her knees to her chest. She could not stop trembling. She had shouted to everyone to let her alone, to let her be. She was hurting so much. She prayed to the Gods to let it all be a nightmare because without Misha she was alone, without her she had nothing.

She felt someone standing not far away, she was about to tell them to go away but when the person didn't stop at her side she looked up.

Alexa gazed at the woman who was standing next to Misha, all regal in her battle dress and armor, hairs in a ponytail, not a strand out of place. Alexa saw a shadow pass on the ruler face, her eyes went cold, the sight made her shiver. The Conqueror caught her staring, Alexa was surprised to see her expression softened when their eyes met. The exchange didn't last though and Alexa saw the ruler put her arms underneath Misha's body.

"No ! Don't … don't touch her." Cried Alexa.

The Conqueror turned her gaze toward the girl. "She deserves better than that" uttered the Conqueror as gently as she could.

"She deserves to be alive" whispered Alexa feeling new tears running on her cheeks.

The ruler stared at the girl finally realizing the state of the teen.

Alexa saw someone kneeling in front of her. When she moved her head up her eyes crossed the ones of the Conqueror. It was the first time they were standing so close to each other. Alexa was mesmerized by the blue eyes of the woman, eyes which could freeze you on the spot from fear or, like now, eyes which could make you feel safe.

"We will carry her home."

Alexa nodded. The Conqueror walked back toward the table and took Misha's body in her arms. Alexa followed close behind. People parted to let them pass, some stopped on their path astonished by the behavior of their ruler.

The Conqueror laid the woman on her bed. Alexa was standing at the entrance of the room paralyzed, not knowing what she was supposed to do. She saw a shadow hovering.

"I have asked for a bath to be prepared."

Alexa nodded again. She directed herself toward the bathroom were indeed a bath was waiting for her. When finished she joined the Conqueror. Two women and a few guards were standing next to her. Alexa didn't know the women, they looked like peasants, their presence here in the middle of army men was odd. The Conqueror took notice of her presence in the room and dismissed her people. One of the women lingered, a blond one with short hair. Alexa caught her staring at the Conqueror, she didn't know what she was expecting to see in those eyes but certainly not tenderness.

"Let me get a look at your wounds" The Conqueror said getting the attention of the girl.

"It's just scratches." Alexa disregarded.

Alexa saw the look on the ruler's face, a look directed at her. This was not a suggestion. Alexa sat down and let the woman clean up her wounds. To say the situation was uncomfortable would be an understatement. Alexa didn't know where to look, she felt her heart pound faster in her chest. She had to keep it together, she could not freak out now, not in front of the Conqueror.

"Do you have other injuries ?"

The girl shook her head. The Conqueror stood up.

Alexa turned her attention to the door of Misha's bedroom. It was closed but she couldn't tire her eyes away from it. "Do you know who did this to her ? Why did they come here ?"

The Conqueror froze, her jaw tightened, she clenched her fists. "I will find out and they will pay for what they did."

Alexa was taken aback by the chilling tone of the ruler. She didn't dare look in her direction too afraid of what she would see. A heavy silence fell on the room. The Conqueror was doing her best to push her emotions aside, she had to keep a façade. _For Misha, _she kept telling herself. She could not mess this up, not again.

"Food was brought earlier, you should eat." The ruler said. "I have to check things up, I won't be long." Not receving any answer, the woman took her leave.

Once alone, Alexa let out a breath, relieved.

The Conqueror walked toward the makeshift prison chose by Patrocle. It was outside the village, a perfect location if you were trying to stay away from unwanted visitors.

The Conqueror entered the barn and wasn't disappointed by the view. The prisoner was hanging by the hands on one of the barn's beam. His body was in poor shape, blood was dripping from one of his injury.

Patrocle joined her. "My Lord. It didn't take long to learn what we were looking for."

The Conqueror was not the least surprised. Patrocle had a knack to get informations out of people, one of his many qualities. "I'm sure you were very thorough."

"All I did was offering him a quick death in exchange of the informations we needed. I explained that if he were to refuse I would have to let him in your hands. He didn't think twice." He added with a smile. "Do you want me to get rid of him now ?"

"I will take care of that myself. Take the men with you, get some rest."

Patrocle looked at the woman, her eyes were glued to the prisoner. He could not remember the last time he saw this look. He glanced one last time at the man, _May the Gods have mercy on your soul and grant you a quick death_, he prayed before leaving his Lord alone with her prey.

##

Alexa was sitting in the grass staring at the view in front of her. There was nothing to see really but she needed the quietness. She knew a guard was close, order's of the Conqueror. She didn't mind, the man was discreet. She heard someone approaching and then felt someone standing next to her.

Alexa looked up and was surprised to see the woman from before, the blond one with short hair.

"Always be the best, my boy, the bravest, and hold your head up high above all the others. Never disgrace the generation of your fathers. They were the bravest champions..." recited the Amazon Queen. She looked down smiling gently at the girl who looked at her confused. She pointed at the scrolls next to Alexa. "You're reading Homer's work don't you ?"

"You know his work ?" Asked the teen puzzled.

"I know the man." Answered the Amazon wittily. "I'm Gabrielle."

"Alexa." The girl said timidly.

"I'm sorry about your mother Alexa."

"She was not …" She was going to say that Misha was not her mother but who was she kidding, the woman had been the closest thing to one. "Thank you. How do you know Homer ?" She tried to change the subject.

"We met in Athens a long time ago."

"Are you a bard ?"

Gabrielle took her time to answer, thinking carefully about it. "I was, at some point in my life. I don't know if it's true anymore."

"Now that you are at the service of the Conqueror ?"

"I'm not working for the Conqueror." Explained the Queen with a smile.

Alexa wanted to ask the mysterious woman why she was here then but she was startled by the sudden appearance of the ruler. "Lord Conqueror" she stammered bowing.

Gabrielle bowed too but with much less enthusiasm. The ruler barely acknowledged the Amazon and focused her attention on Alexa instead. "The ceremony will start at sundown. You should change." She said mildly.

The girl nodded and left the two women alone.

Once Alexa out of sight, the Conqueror turned swiftly toward the Amazon Queen. "Stay away from her. You will not recruit her."

"I was just being friendly. You're being paranoid. And even if I was ? She has no one, the Amazons can offer her safety and a family."

"She is not alone" said the ruler adamant.

"Are you telling me you will take care of her ?" The Conqueror didn't answer. "She needs more-"

"More than I can offer ?" The Conqueror challenged. "If you haven't noticed I rule half of the damn world, what can't I offer her ?"

"Affection." Answered the Amazon as a matter of fact.

"Oh yes I forgot the Amazons were specialized in that area. Everyone knows how affectionate Amazons can be" rebuked the Conqueror with venom.

Gabrielle couldn't believe what she was hearing, she didn't like what the woman was implying. "Don't make this about us."

"Not everything is about you !" Furiously stated the ruler. "This is about the woman laying dead inside this house. This is about the girl she raised without asking anything in return. This is about the fact that I should have been there to protect her. This is about the fact that because of me the kid became an orphan for the second time in her so short life !" The Conqueror paused, composing herself. She would not give the younger woman the satisfaction of seeing her lose it. "This is about the fact that you think you still have the right to insult me without consequences. Don't think that because i'm allowing you to be here, things are changing between us." She took a step forward, menacing. "Don't forget your place Queen Gabrielle or I will make you regret it."

"I'm not afraid of you. I never was, I will not start now." Calmly said the Amazon Queen not cowering under the glare of the ruler.

"You should though because what protected you back then can't protect you anymore." Answered the Conqueror coolly.

"I'm not one of your subject, you can't scare me to do as you please. We were friends before becoming lovers Xena. You have no idea how many times I've cursed the moment we crossed that line but even after everything I never thought we would get to this point. So no I am not afraid of you. Besides, you seem to have forgotten that I don't need protection."

"Is that a challenge ? Because I just left my prisoner, unfortunately he wasn't much of an opponent and I still have a lot of pent-up energy."

The Queen could feel it. She knew Xena was skilled to conceal her emotions but even after all those years apart Gabrielle could still read her. She could feel the rage pouring from every pores of the woman, she could see the pain in those clear blue eyes. But she knew those feelings were not related to them. So she backed off and started to walk away but stopped when a last thought came to her mind. "Don't keep it inside or it will eat you alive. Even Greece's ruler is allowed to grieve" she said keeping her back to the Conqueror.

##

People were gathered in the hills outside of Amphipolis. Funeral pyres had been installed. Alexa was standing not far away from the one's where Misha was laying. The Conqueror approached her with a torch to light up the pyre.

"I can't" the girl murmured shaking her head.

The ruler didn't insist and walked alone toward the pyre lightning it up herself. She moved back to stand next to Alexa.

Alexa was watching the fire spread, she could feel the heat and hear the crackles of the wood. Tears were falling from her eyes, a lump was forming in her throat, she wanted to turn away, to run from here. When the fire finally reached Misha's body, she choked on her tears and let out a strangle cry, she took a step backward but was stopped by a hand in her own. She turned her head to see the Conqueror's hand gripping hers. The ruler had her eyes fixed on the pyre, a solemn expression plastered on her face. She seemed to sense Alexa watching her because the girl felt her squeeze her hand.

Years later if someone were to ask Alexa what moment changed her life drasticly she would answer that it was the moment the Conqueror took her hand that day because in a split second, with this simple gesture, she understood that she will not be alone after all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer : I don't own anything.**

**Sorry for the wait, i needed to write some kind of interlude to start the new installment. So this is it. It's a mixture of conclusions for the past chapters and introductions for what will come next.**

After the ceremony, the Conqueror walked toward the tavern with Alexa. The girl had expressed her desire to sleep in one of the tavern's room instead of her house. She didn't want to go back there, she thought she may never be capable to put a foot in this house ever again.

Their walk was mostly silent, the Conqueror was immersed in her own thoughts and Alexa didn't want to disturb her. Once at the tavern, the ruler finally adressed her, instructing her to follow her toward her room. Inside, Alexa found herself unable to shake off her discomfort. The boldness she showed after Misha's revelation, her need to stand up to the Conqueror, all that vanished. Now her mind was screaming at her to be cautious.

The Conqueror was staring at the teen. She took her time to get a good look at her. Apparently the girl had not inherited her height nor body. In fact, despite the black hair, they didn't share any physical resemblance. Alexa was much shorter and quite skinny. Brown eyes were staring back at her before quickly turning their attention somewhere else in the room. The Conqueror was aware of the discomfort of the girl, she knew what effect she could have on people. She realized the fear she enjoyed seeing in others, she didn't want to see it in the eyes of the young woman in front of her.

"You can sit down" she gently informed. Alexa complied. "I realize it is late and that you are probably tired but we need to discuss about what's to come. As you can surely guess, I'm needed in Corinth, I can't stay here much longer."

Up until now, Alexa stubbornely refused to seriously think about what her life was going to be like from now on. Misha didn't have any family left. The only decent future for her was linked to the woman she had in front of her right now. Alexa never knew why the woman came here in the first place, did she really plan to tell her the truth about their relationship or did she find herself stuck by Misha's revelation. Maybe she was feeling stuck now, maybe she felt forced to take care of her. The last thing Alexa wanted was to be a burden. She remembered the words of Misha about the opportunities the Conqueror could offer her, Misha seemed to be under the impression that the ruler wanted her to be part of her life now. But being part of her life and having to fully take care of her was two different things. The Conqueror surely never expected the death of Misha, so will this change anything ? Maybe she will bail, maybe she will again find someone else to do the job in her place.

"Did Misha tell you anything about why I came here in the first place ?"

"Not really no."

The woman sighed. She had counted on Misha to explain this to the girl. She expected the tavern owner to prepare Alexa. Now, considering the situation, she was hoping the teen would just go her way and not put much of a fight. She certainly didn't want their relationship to start on the wrong foot.

"I wanted to give you the choice to get out of here, to offer you a chance to be more than what was waiting for you here. I wish things were different but unfortunately the decision is not yours anymore."

"What do you mean ?" Asked Alexa not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"It means that you will go back to Corinth with me." The words of the Conqueror didn't let much place for a rebuttal.

Alexa should have been outraged by the commanding tone of the ruler. She wasn't though. In fact she was relieved by the certainty of the woman's words. She just nodded in acceptance. "I have nothing left here. I don't want to stay, this is too hard" she added more for herself than for the Conqueror.

The Conqueror understood all too well. "We will leave as soon as you're ready then." Her words were meant as a dismissal, something the girl was apparently not used to because she didn't move from her spot.

"Will I be staying with you in Corinth ?"

"Of course you will."

Alexa could not look at the woman. "Will people know who I am ?" She managed to say out loud.

The Conqueror stared at the girl, taken aback by the line of questioning before realization hit her. "I would not ask you to be anything less than who you really are. I will not ask you to hide or lie. You will enter Corinth as the Empire's Princess, my daughter" she explained. "Your life will be far different, I hope you understand that."

"This doesn't scare me" she said with confidence.

The Conqueror heard the conviction in those words, hoping it will still be there once in the capital, Gods know she will need it. "You should get some rest." And this time Alexa took this as her cue to leave. Once outside, she was startled by the presence of one of the Conqueror's men, she remembered him from her altercation with the soldier named Draco, he was the only one who tried to talk him out of it.

"Miss" Patrocle saluted.

Alexa knew she should say something to him to not appear rude but she had no idea who this man was. Luckily for her he seemed to see her uneasiness.

"I am Patrocle, the Conqueror's second in command."

"Alexa" she simply said. She saw him smile at her.

"Have a good night Milady."

Alexa was about to correct him when she heard the door being opened behind her.

"I don't have all night." The ruler said impatiently to her second in command.

"My Lord" he bowed.

The Conqueror looked in Alexa's direction, "Did you need anything else ?"

Alexa shook her head, "We were just introducing ourselves to each other."

"You will have time to get acquainted, right now you need to sleep." The ruler waited to see the girl acknowledge her comment before entering her own room followed by Patrocle.

"Be quick" the ruler ordered.

The man nodded. "The men are ready to leave."

"I have a few things to handle before leaving."

Patrocle was not pleased by this. "Words of your presence here must have spread My Lord, i'm afraid our way back will not be safe. We should go back to Corinth as soon as possible."

"I hear your concern Patrocle. Believe me I would love to leave this place tonight if I could."

The man knew the reason for delaying their departure. "The girl ?"

"She comes with us." The Conqueror could see her second in command still standing in front of her, apparently deep in thought. "If you have something to say Patrocle, say it."

Indeed, the man had something on his mind. In fact, the thought kept coming back in his head since they put a foot in Amphipolis. Until now he didn't have enough proof to voice it. "Is she yours my Lord ?"

The ruler answered without hesitation, "Yes. As far as blood goes anyway. How did you figure ?"

"It is my job to know my Lord." This answer didn't satisfy the Conqueror and he could see it in her eyes. "I asked around. I learned the tavern owner was a childhood friend of yours and that she adopted the girl, no one knew from whom though."

The Conqueror was aware the man was not sharing his whole reasoning with her but right now she didn't care.

"Does the girl know ?" He asked curious.

"She does. Inform the men. I already put a guard with her but make sure it is clear that she is their priority during our trip back."

Patrocle nodded without enthusiasm. Sometimes he thought the woman was testing his limits. First, she insisted to come here with barely enough men to correctly assure her protection and now she was asking him to assure the safety of another person with several of his men still injured after the village's attack. He will not have a good night sleep until their return to Corinth. And on top of that, another matter was looming over their heads. A sensitive subject he wished will be handled quickly.

"What about the Amazon Queen ?" He saw the Conqueror visibly tense at the mention of the woman.

"Either she accepts our terms and put her Nation under my protection or she refuses and deal with the fact that her Nation might not be around for long."

"Queen Gabrielle is a proud woman, the Amazons are a proud people. We should prepare for the worst." Patrocle was doing his best to convince his Lord. He was aware of the less ideal relationship between the two women, he witnessed the aftermath of their separation, he even got in the middle of it.

"She won't let her sisters get slaughtered, not if she can do something to avoid it. Make sure to remind her of that."

"My Lord ?" He asked not sure of what she was implying.

Xena looked at him, "I have things to take care of, things more important than the Amazon Queen" she explained with finality.

##

After his meeting with the Conqueror, Patrocle sent word to the Amazon Queen inviting her in his quarter to discuss the signature of the treaty. The next morning, he received a message from the Queen asking him to join her during her training. When Patrocle arrived at the meeting place, Gabrielle was already practicing. He stood there watching the Amazon work with her staff, her movements were fluid and fast, the whole thing was beautiful to watch.

"Care to join me ?" She said to him while throwing a staff in his direction. He caught it easily and smiled.

"Getting lessons from the Amazon Queen herself, how could I refuse ?"

The Amazon smiled at him, "Let's see if you got any better since the last time we sparred General." Like her Patrocle never cared much about title. He was the General of the Empire army, a position many would kill to achieve but the man remained the same. The power of his function never went to his head, neither did his unusual friendship with the Conqueror.

They sparred for a while, the Amazon Queen was outclassing Patrocle but they both didn't care, they didn't have anything to prove to each other.

"I yield my Queen" the man finally said. It's been a long time since he fought a worthy opponent. For him it felt like fighting his Lord. Gabrielle stopped in front of the man, stuck by his words. He looked up seeing the look on the warrior's face, realization hitting him. "I'm sorry."

"No, please" she tried to brush aside. His words though sent her back to a past she desesperately wanted to put behind her.

Patrocle felt the need to explain himself though, "I meant it as a mark of respect, I hope you know that. Even if my oath is to Greece's Empire-"

"-Don't" she interrupted him. "You should be careful, I don't want anyone to question your loyalty."

"My loyalty toward Greece doesn't mean I put a cross on our friendship Gabrielle. It breaks my heart to see the state of your relations with the Conqueror. I wish I could do more but my hands are tied." The man reached for a scroll and handed it to the Amazon. "We are leaving Amphipolis at first lights tomorrow, the Lord Conqueror expects a signature before then."

Gabrielle didn't even look at the document. "I am the ruler of a sovereign Nation Patrocle, I think I deserve more than that especially considering what would be the results of the treaty. This is insulting." She was outraged but she didn't want to blame him for it, he was just following orders after all.

"I understand. Unfortunately as you can imagine, the moment is less than ideal. The Conqueror is dealing with the consequences of Amphipolis' attack."

The Queen nodded her understanding, an idea already growing. "You're right. We should wait for a more appropriate moment. I will wait to be in Corinth, the trip will let me time to think." Gabrielle saw the man was about to object. "I saw the condition of your Royal Guard Patrocle, we both know you could use another pair of hands."

He knew she was right, the Conqueror on the other hand probably won't see things the same way.

##

The Conqueror went back to her room after checking on Alexa. With the help of Liam, the girl managed to organize her belongings for her departure. The ruler was not expecting to only see the head of the village helping the teen. She thought the girl would have asked her friends to give her a hand but apparently the only one willing to help her was the old man. She understood what Alexa was implying when telling her she had nothing left here anymore. She had no friend and her only family was dead. She really hoped things will be different for her in Corinth.

When entering her bedroom she felt a presence inside.

"Who let you in ?"

"No one" casually answered the Amazon Queen without moving from her seat.

The Conqueror was already fed up by the attitude of the Amazon, "You can't invite yourself here !"

The furious tone of the woman was not alarming the Queen though. "I didn't have much of a choice since you do everything you can to avoid me" she commented.

The Conqueror walked toward her desk making sure everything was where she let them when she left candlemarks ago. "You do realize I have a thing or two to handle around here."

"Yes I do actually. That's why I told Patrocle I will wait for your return to Corinth to deal with our matter."

The ruler took a deep breath and looked at the Queen warningly, "If you think I am going to let you follow us all the way down to Corinth you're mistaken."

Gabrielle was skilled for many things, the most useful was, without a doubt, her capacity to read the woman she had before her. Right now, she could see the calm the woman was showing was just a façade, one misplaced word and the ruler would explode. "As the ruler of a sovereign Nation I have the right to choose the place where a potential treaty will be signed."

"Does this mean the Amazon Queen will put her Nation under the power of Greece Empire ?"

"If the terms suits me, I might, yes."

The Conqueror glared at the Amazon, "You already know the terms so stop wasting my time" she said tightly. "Go back to your Amazons Gabrielle before I send you there myself."

The Queen remained silent. The Conqueror saw her stand up, she thought she finally convinced the woman to leave but to her surprised the Amazon was not walking toward the door but toward the display of weapons carefully lined up waiting to be put away for the pending trip. She watched the woman take one of the swords, weighing it up. "I worked too hard to build the Amazon Nation, i'm not going to let it go all to waste."

The Conqueror barely heard what the Queen had just said. For a second she thought she was mistaken but when facing the woman, the sword in one hand, the ruler knew she had heard correctly. She couldn't believe the nerve of this woman.

"Is that a threat ?" She asked, deliberatly showing the weapon at her hip. Even the Amazon Queen could not stay indifferent at the sight of her chakram.

Gabrielle could see the dangerous stance of the older warrior. She knew what she was saying could send her straight to her death but she didn't care. She would sacrifice her freedom and her life for what she believes in. She approached the desk, sword still in hand.

"I've asked for your help because foolishly I thought you would care but I see your hatred is blinding your jugement. We had an ideal Xena, you're turning your back on it. For what ? To get back at me !"

"_You_ had an ideal, I had a mission." The Conqueror took her distance from the Amazon. "I should have your head for drawing a weapon in my presence." Those words had no effect of course, both knew all too well this event was unlikely to occur in this lifetime.

"I'm tired of you pretending that nothing happened between us. So if I need to threaten you to get a reaction, I will keep doing it" announced the Queen with defiance. "Our past isn't perfect Xena, i know that but i never wanted to forget it. It didn't prevent me from moving on."

The Conqueror didn't like what the woman was implying. "I moved on" she said pointing a stern glare at the Amazon.

"Did you really ?"

"Don't flatter yourself." The ruler responded bitterly.

Gabrielle put the sword on the desk, refusing to respond to the woman. "I have sent Eponin back to the Amazon Nation, she will inform our sisters about the evolution of our discussion."

"So the Amazon Queen is walking around without protection" the Conqueror said with triviality. "I will not ask my men to risk their life for you" she warned.

Fiery eyes were staring at her. "I didn't ask you anything, I can protect myself."

The ruler certainly was not expecting the younger woman to still be offended by questions about her capabilities. Everyone in their right mind would think twice before asking to challenge the Amazon Queen. But that didn't explain her careless behavior.

"I can protect myself but do you see me walking around unprotected ?" The Conqueror asked, looking sternly at the Amazon. "You're reckless and that's dangerous. If I feel your presence is putting Alexa in any danger, if you get in the way I swear you will regret it."

The mention of the girl picked the Queen's interest, "She accepted to follow you."

"That seems to surprise you."

"Not really. From what I heard she wasn't left with much of a choice. I'm more worried about the life will she have once in Corinth."

"Why do you care ?"

"I know how things are in the capital Xena. Without a title, without a powerful name, you're nothing" explained the Queen.

"That won't be one of her problem." The Conqueror saw the questioning face of the Queen. "I've already sent words to Corinth to prepare for the arrival of the Empire's Princess."

This information was not lost on the Amazon Queen. She knew Xena never took a decision lightly, this could only mean one of two things.

"The few times you shared mementos of your childhood with me you mentioned Lyceus of course but Misha too, the healer's apprentice. I remember you telling me she was older than you by a few years, that you met thanks to your several visits to the healer. She was an older sister to you and with Lyceus, she was the only person you blindly trusted. I know Alexa was not Misha's daughter Xena." The Queen witnessed the shifty eyes of the Conqueror, a subtle move but enough for the Amazon to confirm her suspicion.

The Conqueror chose to remain silent, the action pushed the Amazon to keep digging. Gabrielle was indeed desperate for an explanation. During their years together she never suspected the existence of Alexa. Between Amphipolis' attack and their encounter Xena was on the battlefields, how she managed to hide a pregnancy was beyond belief.

"How long since Lyceus' death ? I know you never came back here in Amphipolis since his death, not even for your mother. Once, I suggested that we come pay our respect, you exploded at me and refused to speak to me for days. And suddenly on your own accord and in secret you make the trip from Corinth. I've wondered about the reasons since I heard about it. What could possibly convince you to come here ? Or should I say whom ?" She paused waiting for a response from the woman, not receiving any she went on. "Hiding her in plain sight, that was crazy enough to work. You could have told me, we would-"

"-we would have what ?" Abruptly asked the Conqueror finally facing the Amazon. "Raised her together ? Please, did you take a look at our lives, we can't even be in the same room without screaming at each other" she finished daring the Amazon to say otherwise. "Alexa could not have hoped for a better parent than Misha. Thanks to her she had fifteen years of normalcy in her life."

Gabrielle took a step forward driven by the need to comfort the woman but she restrained herself at the last moment, remembering painfully the state of their relationship. The Conqueror saw the woman's hesitation, she was shocked to feel disappointed when the Amazon finally decided to step back and leave.

##

Despite the circumstances, most of the villagers gathered to bid their farewell to the Conqueror and her men. Alexa was talking to Liam, the man was trying to convince her to accept the few scrolls he was handing her.

"Just in case you get bored during your travel" Liam said smiling at the girl. Finally Alexa caved and thanked him by giving him a hug. He was surprised by the gesture at first but recovered quickly and took her in his arms. "Whatever happen Alexa, don't forget you have a home waiting for you here" he murmured to her. He felt her nod at his words.

The Conqueror was watching the scene, soon joined by the Amazon Queen. The two women stood there side by side in silence. Alexa finally let go of Liam and walked toward them. She wiped her tears before reaching the two women, wanting to keep a façade in front of the warriors.

"I am ready to leave" said Alexa to the Conqueror.

"Before we leave, I think proper introductions are required"

The teen looked unsure, not understanding the meaning of the woman's words.

"Alexa, I'd like you to meet Queen Gabrielle of the Amazon Nation. Queen Gabrielle, this is Alexa, Princess of the Greek Empire and my daughter."

Gabrielle smiled at the girl. Alexa on the other hand was simply gawking at the woman. The sound of the Conqueror clearing her throat woke her up. She looked up at the woman and saw the displeased expression on the ruler's face.

Realizing her mistake the girl bowed deeply before the Amazon, "Nice to meet you Queen Gabrielle."

"The pleasure is all mine Princess" responded the Amazon while slightly bowing.

"Queen Gabrielle will travel with us to Corinth" informed the Conqueror before mounting her horse. The Amazon Queen followed suit. Alexa stood there not knowing what to do. She saw Patrocle coming toward her with a horse.

"Princess" The General bowed before the girl. "His name is Snowflake" he said while handing her the reins. Alexa thanked him. Patrocle helped her mount her new horse.

She took her time to get used to her new acquisition. Once enough at ease, she turned toward the Conqueror, "I love him, thank you" she exclaimed with a big smile. The ruler smiled at the enthusiasm of the girl, pleased to see joy in her eyes for the first time in days. Before ordering her men to move, effectively starting their journey toward the capital, she looked one last time at Amphipolis' tavern promising herself to come back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Again thank you so much for the messages, you're great ! **

Alexa was still excited by the Conqueror's revelation about the identity of Gabrielle, she could not believe she had met the Amazon Queen, the thought bringing a smile at the girl's lips. She was thrilled yes, she was glad to be riding with everyone today but she was beginning to feel the roughness of the trip. Her legs were numb, the rest of her body was aching.

Since their departure from Amphipolis hours ago they had stopped once. The Conqueror warned them they won't be stopping until lunch now, something which could not come quickly enough for Alexa since she really needed to stretch.

She calculated that they must have left Amphipolis six candlemarks ago. Of course Alexa was used to horseback riding but she never travelled this long on a horse before. At least not without several breaks. She didn't complain, she just told herself that she needed to suck it up and keep going. She was riding along with the Conqueror and the Amazon Queen after all and she was certainly not going to be the killjoy of this party.

Noon passed and they were still riding. Alexa was hungry and tired, she was feeling extremely unconfortable now and could not keep from squirming on her saddle. On top of that, it was starting to get hot out there. She looked around her, wanting to see if she was the only one annoyed by the fact that they were not stopping as planned. To her disappointment she was.

Looking behind her, a sight baffled her. The Amazon Queen was in deep conversations with none other than Draco. And she looked like she was having a good time, she was laughing even !

Most of the Royal Guards had been nice to her, as nice as soldiers can be while on duty anyway. Some of them were ignoring her but Draco had been less than civil since their altercation. She thought, naively, that knowing who she really was would change his attitude toward her but she had to come to the conclusion that the man absolutely didn't care. Queen Gabrielle, on the other hand, was the center of his attention. Alexa was not an expert on attraction but she had two eyes and not much to do at the moment so she observed and realized that Draco, the man who tried to beat the crap out of her, had without a doubt a crush on the Amazon Queen. She didn't know much about Queen Gabrielle but she had a hard time believing a Queen would be attracted to a man like Draco. The soldier was crude and for Alexa he was the spitting image of what she thought soldiers were. Alexa was trying to picture the two together when the Conqueror finally called for a break.

The girl dismounted with precaution, she didn't trust her legs at the moment and didn't want to fall from her horse in front of everyone. Once sure that her legs would support her she walked toward a nearby clearing and laid down unceremoniously. She never would have thought that riding a horse could be so tiring, the animal was doing all the work after all. The trip had taken a toll on her, she felt herself fall asleep listening to the voices not far from her.

"Princess."

Alexa opened her eyes at the voice. One of the Royal Guard was kneeling at her side.

"You will feel better with this in your stomach." He said handing her a plate.

Alexa accepted the offered plate a little embarrassed by the attention. "You didn't have to" she said while coming to a sitting position.

The man smiled at the blush he could see on the girl's face. "Our Lord Conqueror put me at your service Princess, I am just fulfilling my duty."

Alexa frowned at this. "Oh I didn't know that" she would have liked to be informed. "I'm sorry, you must have worked hard to be a part of the Royal Guard. All that to end up with me."

It was the guard's turn to frown. "The protection of the Empire's Princess is not a drawback. I am honored to have the trust of the Lord Conqueror." He exclaimed in a firm tone. Alexa glanced at him wanting to see if she had managed to hurt the man but he was smiling at her and she smiled in return.

"What does your duty entails exactly ?" She asked curious.

"Mainly, keeping you safe Princess. I will be at your side every time you decide to leave the castle or when our Lord Conqueror feel my presence necessary."

"Every time ?"

He perceived her worry. He understood the fear and uneasiness, who would want a second shadow. "Do not worry Your Grace, the Royal Guard prime quality is discretion. You won't know i'm here."

Alexa was not convinced but it's not like she could refuse his presence. "I don't even know your name."

"My name is Sefu, Princess."

"Where are you from ?"

"I am from Egypt."

"You must miss your land."

He shook his head, "Egypt took too much from me. Greece has been my home for more seasons than I stayed in Egypt. I am greek in my heart Princess."

Alexa felt there was more to his story but didn't want to pry. They both ate together in silence. Alexa was watching the Amazon Queen out of the corner of her eye, she was talking with the Conqueror's men. Seeing the Royal Guards talk freely to the Amazon Queen, Alexa understood the woman was not a stranger to those men. The Conqueror didn't partake in the conversations, actually Alexa realized the two women had not addressed each other since they left Amphipolis. The ruler was not even among them during lunch. Her thoughts were disturbed by the sudden move of her personal guard who was standing before her.

"My Liege." He saluted.

Alexa turned around surprised to see the Conqueror standing behind her. She didn't even feel her presence. The girl was staring at the ruler trying to understand how the woman managed to creep up behind her without her knowing. Next to her, Sefu looked awkwardly between the two. He could see the Conqueror was waiting for the girl to react to her presence. The more the teen remained unmoving, the more Sefu became anxious for the Princess well-being. To the relief of the man, the girl finally woke up from her daydream, stood up and bowed before the ruler.

"I see you two made acquaintance." The ruler commented emotionless.

Sefu nodded at his Lord while Alexa remained speechless, a fact not lost on the Conqueror. She dismissed her guard and turned toward Alexa.

"How are you feeling ?"

"I'm okay"

The Conqueror shot her a look, doubtful at the statement.

Alexa caved under the scrutiny of the woman. "It's the first time I ride for so much candlemarks." Xena suspected that much. "I'll get used to it … eventually."

Not wanting to crush her mood, The Conqueror kept for herself the fact that what she was feeling right now would be nothing compared to the soreness she will feel tomorrow. Instead, she handed her a waterskin.

"The sun will shine brightly for the rest of the day. The heat will not make the trip any easier but if you stay hydrated you should be allright."

Alexa thanked her, happy at the ruler's consideration.

* * *

Like the Conqueror had told her, the afternoon was barely bearable. Her companions didn't seem affected by the heat which pushed her again to hide her discomfort. Unfortunately for her, Sefu was not easily duped.

"Do you want me to ask for a break Princess ?"

"No, i'm okay." She smiled gratefully in his direction.

The man nodded and retreated back. The Amazon Queen saw the exchange and was not as easily convinced as the guard. She galloped toward the front of the group stopping next to the Conqueror.

"We should stop to take shelter from the sun for a while and freshen up." Advised the Queen.

"If we stop every two candlemarks we will need a week to make it up to Corinth." Answered the Conqueror indifferent.

"Not everyone is used to these conditions Xena." Gabrielle said looking pointedly at the woman.

The Conqueror knew the Amazon was not talking about herself. As much as she would have liked to disagree, the Queen was right. They were on a schedule though and the ruler would feel way more relaxed if they could stick to it. Next to her, she heard Patrocle sigh, the man didn't like it either. Xena signaled for everyone to take a break.

The Queen, satisfied, went back at the rear of the group. She heard Draco curse beside her, he was looking at Alexa and he looked exasperated.

"You seem to have forgotten what it is like for common people to travel in such weather" commented the Queen.

"Maybe Xena should have waited 'til winter to travel. I'm starting to regret sticking with her for this trip. If I had known it was to babysit I would have stayed in Corinth." Draco glanced at the Amazon, a question nagging at him since he heard the woman was going to travel with them to the capital. "I know why i'm here but you, you could have avoided all this" he said pointing in the direction of Alexa.

Gabrielle watched the girl. Even with her attempts to hide it, the Queen could see the teen was having a hard time. "You know me, I do like my adventures" she answered lightly. Draco was certainly not the man she will trust with the real reasons of her presence here.

"Adventures surrounded by Amazons I could see the appeal" he said with a lecherous smile, "but you seem to have gotten rid of your attractive shadows, something I, for one, am deeply sadden about."

The Queen rolled her eyes, "I just didn't want them to be confronted to your kind Draco, that's all. The Gods know no one deserve that." She heard some guards laugh at her jibe, Draco grunted at the display and left the Queen's side.

* * *

The night could not come quickly enough for Alexa. She felt anxious though, it was her first time in the wilderness. Misha was not an outdoor kind of person, they never went camping, The idea of sleeping outside surrounded by strangers was difficult to deal with for the girl. Though, she doubted falling asleep tonight would be a problem.

To Alexa's relief, the sun finally decided it was time for them to get some rest. The group stopped before the night took its place. A camp was quickly built. Alexa honestly thought Greece's ruler would travel more fancily but again, she reasoned, she didn't really know the woman.

Alexa was mesmerized by the organization. She wanted to help but Sefu told her it was no use and that she should rest instead so she did just that. She turned her attention to a group of men building a fire, logs were organized around them. The Conqueror was sat on one tending to her sword while the Amazon Queen was sat on the opposite side reading. Alexa took a deep breath and walked toward them.

The Conqueror saw Alexa approach. The girl seemed tentative at first but eventually she made the last steps toward them and sat without a word.

Once the fire started, the men left the three women alone to go back to their duties. Not a word was uttered for long minutes until a loud sound erupted from Alexa's belly. Two set of eyes looked in the direction of the mortified girl.

"Sorry. I'm … hungry."

The Amazon Queen could not suppress a chuckle. "Don't be embarrassed, it's a miracle mine managed to stay quiet for so long."

Alexa was relieved to hear that, even more relieved when the Queen gave her one of her scroll, "It will keep your mind busy until diner is served" the Amazon told her.

The Conqueror shook her head slightly at the exchange before going back to her task. Silence wrapped them again.

Alexa glanced at the two women, sure now that they were deliberately ignoring each other. The Princess tried to remember what she knew about the Amazons. A community of warrior women led by a Queen where men were not allowed, that was about it. The Amazons were known to be secretive, most of the stories about them were more legends than facts. No one exactly knew where they lived. They had their own land, that Alexa was sure of. She also knew Amazons were Greece's allies, they fought with the Conqueror at some point so if they are allies why were they acting like that ?

Alexa glanced again at the women, thinking that maybe she should be the one to break the ice. Her resolve was cut short by the announce of diner, though. The Queen immediately perked up at the news. Alexa was dumbfounded by the sight, the Amazon looked almost childish, she was even more surprised to see the Conqueror smile a knowing smile at the Queen's reaction.

* * *

Diner went by quickly, everyone was tired by this first journey of travel. The guards who could, went to bed. Soon Alexa was only surrounded by Draco, Patrocle, Sefu, Queen Gabrielle and the Conqueror.

Draco was sharing a story of the past where she learned that in those days the Conqueror and Queen Gabrielle were fighting side by side.

"So here we are, the five of us, in this small town trying to remain unindentified when this warlord Damon show up with a bunch of men to demand the villagers to give them all their belongings. The man thought his newfound celebrity would allow him to just take what he wanted without lifting a finger." Related Draco.

Alexa was listening with rapt attention, eager to know more about their adventures. "What did you do ?"

"Queen Gabrielle here, tried to talk him out of it, he didn't bite and instead tried to recruit her. If I remember correctly he wanted you to become his new wife." He said snickering asking for the Queen's confirmation.

The Amazon turned her attention toward Alexa. "To his defense he acted like a gentleman, he knew how to woe a woman. Of course when I told him I was not interested he went back to his old self and attacked me. Warlord ..." She said rolling her eyes.

"Next thing we know, the guy is running away half naked from his camp crying like a baby. I don't know who were the most surprised, his men or us." Draco finished laughing.

"What did you do for him to react like that ?" Alexa asked the Queen.

Draco didn't let the Amazon time to answer, "Wasn't Queen Gabrielle doing, our Lord Conqueror here was the one who scarred him for life. What was the bastard thinking seriously ..." Before Draco could go on the Conqueror spoke up.

"It's late and we have a long day tomorrow" she firmly said.

The men took this at their cue to leave. Alexa stood up but didn't move on. She had no idea where she was supposed to sleep, Xena saw the hesitation.

"Sefu will show you around." Alexa nodded while Sefu bowed. They both said their goodnight before leaving the two rulers alone.

Gabrielle watched the girl and her guard walk away talking animatedly. "They seem to get along."

"A good thing considering the time they will pass together."

"I heard Alexa ask Sefu if Draco and I were together."

The Conqueror scoffed at the comment. The preferences of the Amazon Queen were no secret. Rumors were spread about the numbers of the Queen's conquests. The Conqueror knew those rumors were exagerated. Gabrielle always had many suitors though, even among her own men. She always knew Draco had a soft spot for the Amazon Queen but she also knew that Tartarus will freeze before the Amazon Queen accept to share her bed with a man.

The Conqueror had always been aware of the effect the Queen could have on people. When they became friends, Xena tried to convince the Queen to disclose her past relationships, something Gabrielle always kept to herself. On the other hand, the appetite of the Destroyer of Nations was no secret in Greece, something Gabrielle never commented on. Only when they became more than friends Xena got privy of part of the Queen's love life mostly because when they first shared a bed together the warrior discovered that the younger woman was far from a novice in the art of lovemaking. Xena was no novice either but she had to admit to herself that this petite woman probably was the best partner she had shared a night with. It was no surprise then that from that moment on she refused to spend even a single night alone.

"I will talk to her." The Conqueror didn't know what she will tell the girl, she certainly didn't want to disclose her past with the Amazon Queen but she also didn't want the teen to keep chatter about the life of the woman.

"I wasn't saying that as a reproach. It just got me thinking. I remember this time with Damon you know, defending the innocent, it was nice." The Amazon looked expectantly at her companion expecting a reaction, a comment, anything. When nothing came, exasperation filled the Queen, "You really want us to just avoid each other until we reach Corinth ? I saw the way Alexa looked at us, she knows something is odd."

"So what ?"

"So if you want to avoid unnecessary question, we could at least pretend to be civil with each other."

The look the Queen saw in the Conqueror's eyes startled her.

"Maybe I was not clear enough the last time we talked." Xena started, contempt lacing her words. "The night you told me you were leaving you put a final point to whatever relationship we had. You walking around like you do, pretending to be offended or even surprised by my attitude toward you, that makes me sick."

Gabrielle could see the ferocity in the warrior's eyes. She didn't look away, she could see the tension in the Conqueror's body, she could even feel it. But again she stood her ground. If she was not the one to push the issue, never will they broach the subject again, an idea unbearable for the younger woman.

"You never gave a second thought to our relationship. I became a sure thing for you, you were so certain that I will never leave your side. Naively I thought that with Greece finally united you will be satisfied but you went after Chin and Egypt and I knew then that you would never be satiated, that whatever the cost you would go after every pieces of land still free from Roman's power."

The Conqueror was doing everything in her power to not pounce on the woman. She knew the power of Gabrielle's words, she had seen many cower after a simple conversation with the Amazon, her included. She should shut her up, she should just make her stop ! Instead she stood up and left the camp, signaling the guards to stay where they were. She knew Gabrielle was following her. Once far enough from the guards, The Queen grabbed the Conqueror's arm and forced her to face her, an action few would have dared. Gabrielle saw fury in the woman's eyes.

"I knew you Xena." The Queen started firmly. "Our relationship was never your priority. So don't pretend that i'm the only one responsible for our falling apart. If we were being honest with ourselves and with each other we will admit that we both worked hard to destroy what we had. We were not meant to work, I accepted it, why can't you do the same ?"

"Because I loved you !" boomed the ruler. She should have been afraid her outburst would attract the attention of her guards but she didn't care anymore. What satisfied her was seeing the absolute shock on the Queen's face. If the woman wanted the truth she would give her the truth. "I would have done _everything_ for you. I would have given up my life if I had known it would save yours. Everything I did was for you. Letting Cleopatra on the throne, Lao Ma in Chin, the Amazons, all that was for you because you cared and I just wanted you to keep looking at me like you were. Everyone one else was seeing a monster but you never did." She took a breath before carrying on more calmly. "You made me fall in love with you. I let you enter my world, my life, my heart. I gave you my trust, something few people can brag about, and look at what you did with it. If you didn't love me anymore you could have said so instead of leaving like you did without giving a damn about what effect your decision would have on others."

"I was scared !" shouted the Amazon Queen, pain obvious in her eyes at the words of the woman in front of her. "I was scared of what I had become during the years at your side. This was not what I had dreamed of Xena. I was a bard for Gods sake ! When I started my training with the Amazons it's not by chance that I chose the staff. I wanted to be capable of defending myself but I didn't want to kill anyone." Tears were falling from her eyes, she let them. "But one day I woke up and I realized that I had lost myself. From this moment on I couldn't look at myself without disgust. I would have loved nothing more than share it with you but you seem to have forgotten what our relationship was like already. The moons before my departure were our worst moons together. I was more angry with you than anything else. Even when we were together we were just pretending. We fought more than we talked. I cried more than I laughed. We did things I never thought us capable of doing to each other. The truth is that I trusted your sword more than I trusted your heart. And I just … couldn't take it anymore."

Gabrielle stopped, trying hard to regain her composure. She wiped her tears and gently went on. "Leaving may have been a selfish move on my part, but at the time I wasn't seeing any other option. After a while I realized what I had done. I tried to reach out to you, when you declined my invitation for the signature of the peace treaty with the Centaurs I realized it was already too late. But I kept thinking that you just needed time. A moon passed and you stopped writing. Then you put Patrocle in charge of dealing with the Amazon Nation and the moons became whole seasons." Thinking back on this period of her life always made her heart clench.

A silence engulfed them both. They stayed there, thinking about each others confessions.

"Is that why you're here ? Because you wish to clear things up between us ?" The ruler could not contain the accusatory tone.

Of course, the Queen didn't let it pass by her and glared at the woman in return. "I'm here because I want my Nation to live in peace."

"But you thought you could use this opportunity to resolve our issues" pushed the Conqueror.

She didn't know why but she needed Gabrielle to admit it, she needed to hear her say it.

The Queen looked wistfully at the warrior wondering for the hundred time how their relationship came to this ugly point. '_Sometimes love is not enough' _she remembered reading, something she never believed to be true. Until Xena. This woman showed her what it felt like to be loved, they had been happy together, something they took for granted. Being with her these past days, Gabrielle realized how much she had missed her friend. "It's never too late to admit your mistakes like it's never too late to say sorry."

With these words, a weight was lifted from her shoulders, a door was opened. She could only hope she would not be the only one to cross it.


End file.
